The Way Things Work
by OffMyLeash
Summary: Tenchi reveals who he loves in the most hurtful way causing a certain Demon Caller’s only family to comfort her, opening a path for Washu to be able to bond with her daughter. What started as simple bonding, led to past memories, & possibly…their future.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n:** _First and foremost I would like to thank my best buddy Q. for reading and reviewing this story as I worked on it. It was because of his suggestions and encouragement that I was able to complete this story and step it up some levels for my readers enjoyment. __To my readers, please enjoy._

**Disclaimer: I own not a single TM character.**

Chapter 1: Heartache

(Washu's Lab)-----

The red haired scientist was currently typing on her computer, imputing data from various experiments. She wasn't rushing to try and finish up before lunch because the other housemates of the house were gone for the weekend and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, so she was all alone. Well, that was not entirely true; Tenchi and Ayeka were at the house as well.

Those two had been left behind because they were both sick; apparently, the two had eaten too many sweets at the fair the other day because they both awoke today with serious stomach aches. The other residences, Ryoko especially, had offered to call off the trip and go some other time when the two were feeling well but they both insisted that the other housemates go on without them: Tenchi and Ayeka didn't want to ruin everyone else's weekend.

Washu didn't go because she had experiments to conduct. They weren't important but she figured that it would be a perfect time to finish them up without distractions from her daughter's, Ryoko, and Ayeka's bickering over Tenchi or Mihoshi getting into her lab and blowing up something. It was an opportunity that the green eyed female just couldn't pass up.

So, after saying good-bye to everyone else, she had informed the house's other two occupants that she would be in her lab for the entire weekend; and, she had asked not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency.

The scientist released a sigh as she typed on her holographic laptop. "I wish this house had more quiet days like this," she said to herself as she continued to work.

Suddenly, a sharp pain was felt across her mental link with her daughter. It was so painful that the small woman fell off her floating cushion, clutching her head tightly. She recovered enough from the initial shock to block off the emotions flowing into her mind.

"What the hell?" she inquired, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She wondered just what had happened to cause her daughter such pain filled thoughts and emotions; she could sense her offspring was back at the house.

Getting up off the floor, Washu decided to go and check on Ryoko to see what was wrong. Just because her daughter didn't want her mother in her life didn't mean that Washu was actually going to listen to the girl. She knew that deep down inside Ryoko the sweet girl that she had raised as a child still lived within the hardened warrior.

The emerald eyed woman opened the door to her lab and got caught in half step; she was not prepared for the sight that greeted her.

-----------

The cyan haired woman just stood there frozen in place; golden eyes wide from shock and disbelief. Her entire body felt numb, almost like dead weight, as her hopes and dreams shattered burying the fragments deep within her broken heart. The pain she was feeling now made her 5000 years of enslavement to Kagato pale in comparison.

The sight that greeted the 'Demon Caller' was completely unexpected. There on the couch was her love, no former love, Tenchi and first crown princess of Jurai, Ayeka, having sex; judging by the smell in the air, since the former pirates sense of smell was so strong, they had been going at it for a long time.

"Oh, Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka cried out, her face flushed, as she clung to the black haired man's body. She could feel him buried so deeply inside of her.

"Ayeka!" the brown eyed teen called out as he thrust into her.

The cyan haired warrior had come back home, not because of Tenchi, but because Sasami had left something important on the counter in the kitchen. Since it would have taken the family 2 hours just to get back to the house Ryoko had voluenterred to go back because it would take her less than thirty seconds to arrive back at the Masaki residence, as opposed to driving back; trying to win Tenchi from the purple haired princess never crossed her mind.

So, the demoness teleported herself back home and directly into the kitchen. Golden, catlike, eyes easily located the items and she was about to be on her way until she heard a loud moan that caused her to turn around. The sight alone was powerful enough to knock her off her feet, yet she managed to remain standing and stared like a deer in headlights.

_How! How could he do this __**me**__!_ The pirate demanded to know in her mind, as her eyes began to moisten.

Ryoko wanted to scream to the heavens in anguish. She wanted to alert them to her presence as she was positive that they were unaware that they had been caught because they were still going at it; never before had she been hurt this badly and she had taken serious punishment over the years. Still, despite wanting to say what she felt, she just couldn't…her throat had seized up making it extremely difficult to say anything.

For the next few minutes the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of heavy breathing; the smell of sex lingering heavily in the air. Eventually, words began to pass between the pair.

"Oh, Tenchi," the red eyed female began, taking her hand and placing it against his cheek. "I love you." She said, as tears formed in her eyes from joy and ecstasy that she was feeling.

"And I love you too Ayeka," the brown eyed male replied with a gentle smile, leaning into her touch. "I have ever since I laid eyes on you three years ago." He admitted. In his eyes, the young woman was the very definition of beauty.

"Then tell me, Tenchi…when are we going to make known our relationship?" the princess questioned curiously. "We've been together for the past three years and still no one knows about it." She added.

The demoness eyes grew even wider when she heard those words. _They-they've been together all this time?! For three years they've been…_she thought to herself.

The black haired teen released a heavy sigh, rising up from her slightly but not far enough to where she would see the other two unknown figures in the room. "It's not like I don't want them to know it's you that I love Ayeka," he informed her, placing a simple kiss on her soft lips. He looked at her a long while before continuing. "I know that Sasami and everyone will be thrilled to hear it…it's Ryoko I'm worried about."

The foreign female raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I know that she cares for me too, loves me even, but if she were to find out that I gave my heart to you three years ago she'd be crushed. I mean everyday she's tried so hard to win my affections and I never discouraged her from doing so, leading her to think that I may actually be interested in her," he stated, feeling slightly ashamed of himself for his deception.

Ayeka saw the look on her lover's face and was tempted to say words to comfort him but she didn't get the chance because he continued.

"It'll be an even bigger blow if she ever found out that I never really loved her. I loved her but as a close friend, like I do with all the other girls, but not as a lover. So, I just need some time to figure out a way to tell Ryoko that it's you I love without causing her too much pain," Tenchi informed the princess of Jurai.

The red eyed female nodded. "I understand, love," she commented. Tenchi didn't want to cause too much pain to the former pirate when he finally informed the household about his love and loyalty to her; he singled Ryoko out because her love for him was equal to her own and Ayeka knew how she would feel if Tenchi had chosen Ryoko over herself.

The young man smiled warmly at the love of his life. "Thank you," he responded. "I promise that soon I'll tell them." He swore before lowering his head down for another kiss.

As the couple went back to their previous affairs on the couch Ryoko's mind was racing with various thoughts and emotions. The number one emotion she was feeling right now was anger. She was angry at Tenchi for choosing Ayeka, angry at him for keeping his relationship with her rival a secret, yet, most of all, she felt angry at herself for being so ignorant and foolish.

She had been blinded for her feelings for Tenchi, the boy who released her from the cave. It took everything in Ryoko to keep from attacking the pair as they continued another round of love making between them; it was something of an old instinct that had developed during the time she spent with Kagato: if something hurt her, even Kagato, attack it and cause it the pain that it caused you. She was actually surprised that she was able to keep herself under control for so long.

The second emotion she was feeling was pain. The catlike eyed warrior's heart clenched painfully as she listened to the conversation between Tenchi and Ayeka. Tenchi didn't love her, and he never did. All those times she had expressed her love for him, through both words and actions, were unrequited because he had already chosen.

Yet, beneath the anger and hurt, the cyan haired female was feeling another type of stinging emotion: betrayal. She felt betrayed because Tenchi hadn't been honest with her and that hurt worst of all to Ryoko. Yes, she would have been hurt to know that he wasn't hers but, to hide it behind not only her back but the backs of everyone else as well caused the golden eyed female to growl lowly; Tenchi and Ayeka couldn't hear it because they didn't have acute hearing and because Ayeka's moans were so loud.

"I bet you two weren't even sick this morning," the demon caller muttered to herself, questioning the honestly of both her housemates. "Damn you…Tenchi," she added before teleporting back to where the others were.

---------

Washu had just gone back inside her lab after she watched her child leave. She was quite surprised that her daughter hadn't gone into an all out right rage right then; she wouldn't have blamed the girl if she did.

"No wonder Little Ryoko's emotions shot across our link like that," she said to the air as she went to sit on her cushion not bothering to go back to working.

The small scientist couldn't believe the sight, not to mention, sounds that greeted her when she opened the door to her lab. Of all the scenarios the red haired woman had thought up, Tenchi and Ayeka fucking had not been one of them; it took everything she had not to faint. Still, jade eyes did not remain focused on the pair for too long because out of the corner of her eye, Washu spotted her daughter in the kitchen.

The mother both felt and watched the various emotions on Ryoko's face and through their mental connection; the emotions were being unknowingly broadcast to her because they were such powerful feelings. As the 12 year old bodied female surveyed the former space pirate, she wanted so badly to run over and sooth her child as each of Ryoko's thoughts echoed in her mother's mind.

Thankfully, the scientist was able to fight back her motherly instincts. If she had done so it would have lead to many unpleasant things undoubtedly. Still, the golden eyed warrior wasn't the only person who was upset: Washu was as well, obviously for different reasons than her daughter's.

She was upset first and foremost because the sight of her child's love interest was coupling with her rival, even though the pirate and princess were also friends, and it caused the fighter to hurt. Lime eyes seeing her offspring hurt, hurt, and angered, the scientist as well.

Besides that, the red head was also surprised that Tenchi was able to keep hidden his relationship with the elder Jurai princess for so long. Had she not heard the words straight from the boy's mouth herself she would never have believed it to be true. Although, it did make her wonder why he never made it known from day one because the longer he waited the faster the girl's, with the exception of herself, fell in love with him.

As the genius let all this information roll around in her head she did wonder why Ryoko had come back to the house. "I guess I'll just have to ask her when she's on the roof again," she remarked, as her nasal voice flowed through the air. She knew her little 'Demon Caller' liked to sit on the roof for various reasons.

'Oh, my little one…' she thought as she let her mind drift. She had more than a feeling that things weren't going to be the same in the Masaki household anymore.

(Elsewhere)-----

"Hey Ryoko, you're back!" Sasami, the younger Jurai princess, proclaimed as her friend suddenly re-appeared with the item she had left at home.

"Hey there kiddo!" the taller woman greeted with a smile; if it was one thing Ryoko was good at it was being able to mask her pain perfectly.

The blue haired girl ran over and embraced her friend in a tight hug. "Thanks for going back to the house for me Ryoko. I hope it wasn't any trouble," she remarked looking up at the cyan haired woman.

"It was no problem at all kiddo. Here you go."

"Thanks, now I can make that new spicy dish I was telling you all about," the pink eyed princess commented with a bright smile.

The older woman watched as Sasami ran off to go and prepare lunch for everyone. She squinted as she cast her catlike eyes toward the sky; it was such a beautiful day for a "family" outing at the beach.

'Hard to believe that on such a beautiful day something so ugly can happen,' the spiky haired warrior thought to herself. She was knocked from her thoughts by the sound of a certain blonde's voice.

"Hey Ryoko, come play volleyball with us!" Mihoshi called to her friend.

The former pirate nodded. "Alright…let's play!" she yelled as she teleported beside to Galaxy Police officer, already in her bathing suit or, lack of thereof. Ryoko decided to push what she had seen earlier to the back of her mind and just let it be filled with the fun she was going to have at the moment.

(New Day)--------

"Tenchi, Ayeka, Little Washu, we're back!" Sasami called as she and the others entered their home with Ryo-Ohki perched on her head.

As the young girl was calling out to the three members that stayed behind, her older sister began to descend the stairs. "Welcome back everyone," the violet haired female greeted with a smile. The minute she stepped off the stairs her little sister ran to hug her.

Upon entering the house, Nobuyuki and Yosho took up residence on the couch placed against the wall. Ryoko watched them, from her place by the door, and she felt a slight disgust that they were seating themselves on the same couch that she had caught Tenchi and Ayeka on just the other day; she quickly turned her gaze away. Not wanting even look at the couch she teleported herself up to her rafters, not even bothering to speak to anyone.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," the Galaxy Police officer commented with a bright smile before she took a seat on the couch placed directly before the television set; it was late that evening when the group had returned from their "family" outing which meant that her favorite show would be coming on soon.

The red eyed woman nodded slightly. "Yes, I'm feeling much better thank you," she replied. She did feel a slight twinge of guilt for deceiving them as she had. She quelled the feeling by telling herself that it was one of the rare times she was allowed to be completely alone with Tenchi without having to worry about Ryoko or the others.

"Ayeka?"

The tall girl was knocked from her thoughts by the sound of her sister's voice. She looked down to see the shorter female looking up at her with concerned eyes. "What is it Sasami?" she asked.

"I was asking you would you like me to make your favorite dinner tonight?" the smaller sibling remarked.

"Oh, yes very much," the older sibling answered with a small smile.

"Ah…I see you guys are finally back," a nasal voice remarked in a cheery voice. Everyone turned their attention towards the door leading to Washu's to see her closing the closet door behind herself.

"Oh hey, Little Washu," the blue haired princess said, turning her attention to the scientific genius, releasing the hold on her sister in the process. "I wish you had come with us, we had a really great time at the beach." She added; the other "family members" that had gone on the trip nodded their heads in agreement.

The jade eyed woman simply nodded. She then turned her attention upward the rafters where a certain pirate resided. "And hello to you too Ryoko," she said to her child.

Before words could exit the cyan haired female's mouth Tenchi came down the stairs, drying his hair off with a towel. "Oh, hey everyone! How was your trip?" he inquired, in a cheerful voice.

As the group filled him in on their trip the golden eyed woman remained where she was. As she looked at the black haired teen she felt her emotions beginning to swell: anger being the dominant one. Honestly, she thought she could handle looking at him-even if it wasn't in the same light as before, yet, the more she looked at him, and next to his side the elder princess, she realized that she had been wrong.

"Sasami, let me know when dinner's ready," Ryoko called over the various voices chattering at once. She didn't even wait for the child to reply before she phased out of sight.

---------

Ryoko was sitting up in her favorite tree, on her favorite branch, looking up at the sky. She had always loved staring at the stars, how they stretched for miles and seemed to go on forever. Numerous times while she was with Kagato she found herself looking out at the stars, they had always helped to calm her down and offer her peace; space was free, no one could claim it if they tried. It was thoughts such as those that had helped her to stay alive.

"Ryoko," a voice called to her, it was soft and gentle.

Catlike eyes gazed down and were met with emerald catlike eyes staring right back at her. She jumped from the branch and landed gracefully on her feet; that jump would have killed anyone else. The pirate thought she knew the reason her "mother", she still didn't see the little red head as her mother, just her creator, was there.

"I take it Sasami sent you to tell me dinner was ready?" the younger female inquired. She did wonder why they would've sent Washu, although she was not complaining about it not being Tenchi either.

The older woman could see the hurt in her daughter's eyes that so desperately wanted out; however, she also knew her child was stubborn and would not allow herself to release that pain, let alone admit it to another person, despite how badly the girl needed to. Suddenly, Washu shifted into her adult form completely taking her daughter by surprise with her action.

The now taller woman then placed her hand gently on Ryoko's cheek, cradling the girl's face. "Ryoko," she slowly began her voice low and many octaves deeper. "You don't have to hold in this pain," she informed the shorter girl.

"What are you talking about?" Ryoko tried to play dumb, pretending she didn't know why those words had passed through the older woman's lips. She tried to free her face from the ruby haired woman but Washu's grip was strong, yet still gentle at the same time; that hold meant that the Science Academy graduate was not about to let up on the subject.

The mother released a deep sigh. "I know what you saw yesterday, Ryoko," she stated with complete seriousness

The cyan haired demoness's eyes widened from shock knowing exactly what the scientist meant by those words. How did Washu know that…she stopped suddenly, getting herself back under control. Ryoko then remembered how it was possible that Washu knew she was hurting on the inside and what had caused it.

"So you've been nosing about in my head again?" she stated, though it was more of a demand, golden eyes hardening to stare into green ones.

"No little one, I had felt your pain through our link and had sensed you in the house. When I came from the lab to see what was wrong…I saw the same sight you did, hear the same words you did, and felt what you felt."

As each word passed through her creator's mouth, the demon caller's resolve began to weaken; it also did not help that Washu's voice was so soft and…caring. The young teen could almost swear that she heard emotion in her creator, no mother's, voice.

Ryoko then released a word from her mouth, that hadn't been directed at the professor so genuinely since the days before Kagato. "Mommy…" she whispered, as she felt her voice beginning to crack and her eyes begin to water. It was just something about Washu being in her adult form that caused numerous feelings to swirl within the warrior.

The jade eyed mother's heart was touched as she heard those words but, she knew now wasn't the time to celebrate her daughter saying what she had long to hear again. Right now, her little one needed her, the tears that rolled down the smaller girl's face was proof of that; Washu gently brushed away a few tears with her thumb.

The action of the scientist was all it took to break the dam that Ryoko had built to keep her emotions inside. The golden eyed youngster threw herself into her mother's arms, burying her face into the old Science Academy uniform.

"He doesn't love me! He doesn't love me! He never loved me!" came the muffled cries into the black top of the older female's clothes. Ryoko knew she looked weak for doing such a thing but she couldn't stop the sobs from racking her body once she had started. "What did I do wrong?! Is it because she's royalty and I'm not?! Because I'm a murderous demon and she's an innocent?!"

As the questions, either rhetorical or real, passed through the shorter woman's mouth Washu simply held the girl tightly and stroking her cyan locks to bring her comfort; how long had it been since she comforted a child…her child? After a while the crab haired woman sunk down to her knees because Ryoko's had given out; she didn't mind though, she was just glad to be of some help to her offspring.

The taller of the two knew that this was extremely hard on the former pirate. Not just because of what she had seen but because Ryoko didn't know how to handle things like this; despite spending 5 millennia trapped in a crystal did not mean that the genius didn't know what was going on with Ryoko. Kagato allowed her to show only dangerous and hurtful emotions, anything else he hadn't the time for it and neither did Ryoko.

Some long minutes passed before the demon summoner's sobbing slowed down. She was still shedding tears just not as heavily. "No one loves me," the pirate whispered, as she slightly raised her head from Washu's shoulder, the area soaked with tears. She made no move to separate herself from the genius.

"That's not true little one,"

"So _why_ doesn't _he_ love me?" she practically begged her mother for the answer to her question, golden eyes seeking out green for guidance.

"That's not something I can tell you Ryoko, only Tenchi can," the red haired mother answered as she watched a bit of sadness return to the pirate's eyes. "But Ryoko, whatever you may think I love you…" she started to say.

"Because you're my mother," the child countered cutting her mother off.

The parent simply shook her head. "Not just because you're my daughter…I also love you because of the person you are, good and bad and past and present included."

The cyan haired child knew her mother was telling the truth, she could sense the feelings flowing through their link. Ryoko wanted to say something but she just couldn't find the words to speak; Washu understood this and stopped her before she even started.

"You don't have to say anything right now Little Ryoko, you'll find the words you're seeking. But just know that I do love you, with all my heart," she informed her only family. The pirate simply nodded before burying her face back into the scientist's arm.

_I love you Ryoko,_ _I only wish that you could remember,_ the mother thought as she continued to comfort her daughter.

Next time: The Masaki household is informed of a "secret" while a certain someone comes to terms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own not a single TM character.**

Chapter 2: Announcement and Acceptance

Tenchi lay in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, arms tucked behind his head. It was late in the night, light from the moon poured into his dark room. For one reason or the other sleep just couldn't come easily to him tonight.

The reason for his restlessness happened to be because of a certain cyan haired housemate of his. He hadn't even seen the taller woman today which was quite a feat in itself; usually, he couldn't even take three steps without her appearing out of nowhere to tackle him. So, to have such greetings not happen to him, especially after he had learned to expect it from his friend, felt very weird to him.

"She didn't even show up for dinner," the brown eyed male said to the air.

Dinner for his now extended family had been unusually quiet tonight; it had been rather…peaceful. He and the other housemates knew why that was: Ryoko wasn't there to argue with Ayeka and cause a bit fight. They all had to admit, without those antics things felt slightly awkward. However, wasn't the only family member that was on his mind, Washu wasn't at dinner either.

Now, it wasn't a surprise for the little red head to miss out on meals because she was so caught up in her work. The days the scientist did eat with them felt weird also, but it was in a good way; those days seemed rare and needed to be treasured almost. Yet, for both mother and daughter to both be missing from a meal was strange.

The black haired teen took one of his hands and placed it on his head, ruffling his hair a bit. "Maybe I'm just thinking too much into this. I mean this is Ryoko and Washu I'm talking about…both women can handle themselves," he stated, attempting to force his mind from that train of thought to another.

How was he going to break the news of himself and the violet haired princess's relationship? The young male sighed heavily as he went through numerous scenarios in his mind. There was always the direct approach, he considered. He could just blurt out his love for Ayeka to everyone tomorrow at breakfast. They would shocked long enough for him to get a head start in running from the golden eyed pirate, knowing that once she regained her senses she'd be furious.

"No, that definitely wouldn't work," he muttered.

There was also the subtle way, he thought. He could just drop little hints here and there to the red eyed princess and the others were bound to figure out who his love interest was. It would save him time from having to explain to Ryoko how long he had known it was Ayeka who was for him plus, it might soften the blow of her feelings being hurt.

"I know it's going to hurt them but each day I don't tell them it hurts them more not knowing and it hurts Ayeka to have to keep our love secret, and that's not fair to her. I need to just man up and tell them!" he declared forcefully, making sure to keep his voice down because people were sleeping after all.

With that thought in mind, Tenchi settled himself into bed. Tomorrow, he was going to tell the housemates the truth; he was going to announce that he loved Ayeka Jurai, he thought as sleep finally came to him.

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An adult Washu entered into the Masaki household, not long after Tenchi had fallen asleep, carrying a sleeping Ryoko in her arms. The younger woman had exalted so much energy as she poured out her pent up feelings, about the painful sight of yesterday, that after she had finally calmed down, she fell asleep in her mother's arms. Which meant the elder woman was left with the task of getting them back to the house; Washu chose to walk instead of teleport right to the house because she wanted to enjoy carrying her daughter off to bed.

Instead of trying to place the snoozing female up in the rafters or placing the smaller woman on the couch, which the scientist knew would not be a good idea, Washu decided to take her child into her lab; the golden eyed warrior didn't have a room or bed of her own in the house. Besides, the green eyed graduate did have sleeping quarters, a full house actually, in her lab not that the others knew that. Her home was just that…_hers_, and she didn't want the others to know about it because it held so many memories; also, she wasn't ready to show that part of herself just yet.

"Little Ryoko you've gotten heavier since the last time I carried you off to bed," the red manned mother whispered with a small chuckle. As she entered into her lab she couldn't help but recall the last time she carried the now hardened warrior to bed.

_(Many Millennia Ago)------_

_An adult Washu entered into her home, sighing heavily as she closed the door behind her. She had gotten home later than she had planned, then again, lectures and meetings had lasted longer than she expected them to._

"_Such is the roll of Director I guess," she muttered to herself. She had wanted to be the Director of the Science Academy and things as such came with the job._

_As she walked deeper into her home she noticed that the lights were still on. 'What is Little Ryoko still doing up?' she wondered to herself. Her little one should be asleep in bed at this time but she knew if her child was still awake it would not be the first time._

"_Little Ryoko?" the Director called as she entered into the den of their home; it was a very spacious area. Upon entering the large room it was clear that her child wasn't there, so she proceeded to search the house for her young child._

"_I wonder where she is?" she pondered aloud after having scanned the entire house and had come up with her daughter. Just then, Washu heard the faint sounds of light snoring. Immediately, she knew where the cyan haired girl was._

_The red haired professor teleported herself to the roof of their home and there she found her daughter sleeping. The stars overhead allowed Washu to see that her child, that was 7 at the time, was curled up in a ball in the center of the roof. And, atop her head, buried in her cyan locks was Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko's pet/friend. It was such a sweet sight in the scientist's opinion._

_Bending down, the emerald eyed woman gathered her daughter in her arms, careful not to disturb the cabbit snoozing in the small child's hair. "Why does she insist on sleeping up here?" Washu asked herself, curious as to why her energetic demon caller fell asleep pretty much every place except her own bed, as she made her way back inside._

---------

Washu would have gone further with her memory had it not been for the pirate beginning to move about in her arms. Ryoko changed her position and bit but did not awaken from her sleep. The crab haired female simply shook her head.

"Honestly, what do you have against sleeping in your own bed?" wondered the older female as she entered into their home.

(New Day)-------

Ryoko groaned as golden rays of sunshine hit her eyes, warming her face in the process. She was still sleeping, quite comfortably at that, and was not ready to be drawn from her sleep just yet from the world's largest and brightest alarm clock: the sun. She turned her face in the opposite direction of the rays before grabbing the covers and pulling them over her head. Suddenly, golden eyes sapped open and the space pirate shot up.

"What the...!" the young woman yelled as it dawned on her that she was not sleeping in the rafters.

She looked down and noticed that she was sleeping in a bed. _That explains why I was so comfortable_, she thought. The bed was large, it was probably bigger than everyones bed combined, and was extremely comfortable, the mattress conforming to every curve on her body. She noticed the numerous pillows surrounding her that were marshmallow soft and smelled like vanilla for some reason.

As she ran her along the sheets, which were pure white, she noted how they felt like silk because they were so soft; for a moment she wondered if this is what they were talking about on those fabric softener commercials she had seen. The cyan haired warrior then turned her attention to the comforter, which was a teal color with golden designs on top, which looked like high quality work.

After Ryoko was done surveying the bed she then turned her attention to the room about her. To say it was exquisite would have been an insult, but the pirate didn't know of a bigger word to describe it; the room was undoubtedly bigger than the Masaki household. If the room was this big then just how large was the house?

Looking at the room she noticed the door; it was located on the wall opposite the bed and off to the far left. To the right of the door was a book shelf, built into the wall, flowing with books. On the other side of the door, other wall rather, there was a desk that harbored paper, pens, pencils, a lamp, and other items.

Turning her attention to her right she focused on what was behind her. There were two glass sliding doors that led out to patio she believed. "So this explains where the sun came from," she muttered to herself as she crawled out of bed.

The pirate slid open the door and stepped outside; she gasped at what she saw. In front of her, in the distance, were snow tipped mountains, a crystal clear lake, and forest; she knew now that was she no longer at the Masaki residence. Where she was standing was also beautiful; there were various plants about the patio, a bench off in the corner to sit on and in the center there was a table and two chairs set up.

"Just where the hell am I?" Ryoko asked herself. The place felt familiar but also foreign at the same time. Why did it feel like she'd been there before when she had no memories of such a place once so ever?

"R-Ryoko?"

The golden eyed female turned to see a disgruntled adult Washu standing at the entrance to the patio; from the looks of it she had just gotten outta bed. Her crab red hair stood all over her head and not in its normal spiky way. She had on a red robe, which barely reached her thigh, that was open and hanging off her shoulders a bit revealing her silk emerald gown, and ample cleavage, that barely reached her thighs as well.

Ryoko felt her face go flush from the sight and quickly turned around to avoid staring. _'Just what the hell?! Why did I stare at her like that?! And why the hell did I start blushing?!'_

"Ryoko, I didn't think you'd be up so soon," Washu commented, knocking Ryoko from her thoughts. She was rubbing sleep from her eyes so she had missed her daughter blushing.

"W-Where am I?" the younger woman asked, curiosity edging into her voice. She didn't turn around to ask the question, keeping her eyes focused on the scenery ahead of her.

Had Ryoko turned to look at her mother she would have seen the pained looked that flashed across the taller female's face. "You don't remember?...This is _our_ home Ryoko," the scientist stated, wanting her child to know she was still welcomed there.

"Are we still on Earth?"

The red head nodded, as if the action could be seen. "Yes and no. We're still on Earth but the house is in another dimension, I used my sub-portal to get us here," she answered.

Silence passed between them. Washu then turned around and began to exit the room, knowing this must be a shock to her daughter. "Ryoko, I'm going to make us some breakfast. Look around while you wait," she said before exiting the room.

---------

Tenchi awoke that morning and was surprised to not open his eyes to find a tired Ryoko hovering above him with her eyes wide open; he had to admit it was quite a wake-up call though.

"I guess she's not back yet," the brown eyed male commented as he got out of bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Or maybe she's still asleep, that would definitely be a first."

He went about getting himself ready for the day. He went to go take a bath before he went to go train with his grandfather; he had to hurry or he'd be late and have to do more chores. As he was preparing to exit the house Sasami stopped him.

"Oh, good morning Tenchi," the child greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning Sasami," he replied.

"Hey, Tenchi have to you seen Ryoko? I haven't seen her since we got back from our trip yesterday," the shorter girl commented.

He shook his head. "No I haven't Sasami," he answered honestly.

The blue haired princess sighed. "Oh, well. I hope she's alright, she was looking a little down on our way back and I just want to make sure she was okay," she said. "Oh, and by the way lunch will be ready when you get back."

"Okay, I'll try not to be late," he remarked as he ran out the door and towards the shrine.

-----------

"Little Ryoko, breakfast!" Washu called for the younger woman as she sat their plates on a counter.

The shorter girl entered the kitchen. "Don't call me that," she ordered in a border line harsh tone.

"You didn't have a problem with me saying it last night," jade eyed mother pointed out in a low, and slightly hurt, tone.

The graduate looked hurt by the harshness of the words. She should've have known better than to just assume that Ryoko would allow her entrance into her life just because she comforted her daughter last night; it was not that easy for the pirate to heal from wounds, emotional especially, and Washu knew that. Still, she had hoped.

"That was last night, I wasn't myself," the golden eyed demon caller countered, her tone still hard, before turning her attention to the plates of food on the counter.

She remembered last night, how could she not. She had broken down in front of Washu and called her 'Mommy' in the process; she must have looked like a complete weakling, going to someone for help.

Washu decided to change the direction of the conversation. "Uh...I made your favorite," she said, pointing toward the plates; sausage, eggs, grits, and toast resided on both their plates, American style breakfast had always been her daughter's favorite.

_How did she know...?_ The pirate wondered curiously, as she took a seat on the barstool at the counter.

"Because I did raised you after all," the taller woman blurted out without thinking.

"Didn't raise me at all," Ryoko muttered under her breath. "...So how long are we going to be here?" she inquired, speaking louder, as she quickly ate her food with chopsticks. It was something about the house and area surrounding it that just bothered her for some reason.

"When can leave whenever you get ready," the lime eyed scientist replied, as she sat opposite her daughter. "I can have us teleported directly into the house if you'd like?"

The cyan haired woman paused to think about that. Going back to the house would mean facing Tenchi, was she really ready to look into his eyes so soon? If she went back, she try and avoid him which would only lead him to inquiring if she was okay or if something was wrong; hell, the others might ask the same if she walked pasted him without groping him and if she walked away from an argument with Ayeka. Sure, she had cried about it, getting it out of her system, but she was not _over_ it yet.

As much as Ryoko hated to admit it, she found the annoying scientist's company rather soothing; and, having someone there for her in her time of need felt good. With that thought in mind, the golden eyed teen made her decision.

"Can we stay here for a while?" the younger female asked/requested in a low, shy even, tone. "I...don't want to go back just yet." she explained, eyes focused on her food and not at her mother. She felt so embarrassed to ask such a thing.

A small smile graced Washu's face. It touched her heart when Ryoko revealed the shy, softer, side of herself that she kept well guarded behind her mask. But, due to recent events that mask was breaking, preparing to leave something of a child in its wake, and Washu planned to be there for her daughter when that happened.

"Of course we can! This is your house too after all so you can stay here as long as you like," the graduate answered, smile still on her face.

"Thanks,"

Breakfast for the mother and daughter continued with small conversation being made. Once they were finished Washu did the dishes while Ryoko simply looked around some more; the house was huge and would take more than the time it took Washu to make breakfast for the pirate to explore all of it.

"You always were curious," the older woman said with a chuckle as she noticed out the corner of her eye her daughter pass the entrance to the kitchen multiple times.

---------

"Good afternoon Lord Tenchi," Ayeka greeted the earthling as he entered the house. She was sitting at the table for lunch along with the other housemates.

The short haired teen flashed her a smile. "Good evening Ayeka, everyone," he responded, making his way to the table and taking a seat next to his secret love.

"Hi Tenchi!" Mihoshi exclaimed in a joyful mood.

Tenchi then noticed that two spaces at the table were empty, well actually there were three empty spaces but his father hardly ever ate lunch with them. "Where's Ryoko?" he asked, it didn't occur to him to ask about Washu.

"We haven't seen her at all today," the youngest family member, a chef of the family, informed him.

"That demon woman's probably off somewhere getting drunk," the first crowned princess remarked with a slight frown on her face.

"Oh," the only male at the table said, in something of a dejected tone.

"Why were you looking for her?" asked Kiyone, as she sipped her tea.

"Well, I was planning to make an announcement while we were all gathered together for lunch," Tenchi began to explain; he saw out the corner of his eye Ayeka's face light up but she quickly fought it back down. "But, since Ryoko or Washu aren't here I really don't want to make it."

"Oh wow, I bet it's something really important if you want all of us present," the blonde commented.

He nodded. "It is and I want to share it with the whole family, even grandpa and dad. But it looks like I'll just have to wait until dinner to tell everyone. Grandpa said he'd join us tonight and dad gets off early today. If Washu and Ryoko show up then we'll all be present and I'll make the announcement," he informed them with a smile on his face.

"Oh! I can't wait to hear what it is!" Sasami exclaimed, in excitement. Ryo-Ohki mewed happily in agreement.

"And I can't wait to tell it to you, Sasami," the brown eyed boy replied as he then turned his attention to Ayeka.

(Later)-------

It was now sunset where Ryoko and Washu were. Ryoko had spent a majority of her day exploring the house and a bit of the area surrounding it. After she was done with all the exploring she was going to do Ryoko went to the living room where Washu was watching television.

Ryoko was surprised that the scientist she almost appeared normal; the red head was wearing casual clothes, a red top and jeans, and it was definitely something that wasn't seen every day. Washu had stayed at the house with her all day, close enough to let the pirate know that she was there but far enough away to give the smaller female some space; the golden eyed demon caller appreciated that.

The scientist cast her gaze to the first entrance into the living room. "Hey, Ryoko," she greeted in a cheerful tone. She couldn't help herself, having her daughter back home, even if it was only temporary, put her in a joyful mood. "Are you ready to go back?" she questioned.

The cyan haired girl nodded. "Yeah," she admitted. She didn't necessarily feel better but she did feel as though she could face Tenchi and come to terms with his decision.

"Okay," Washu said as she stood up from the couch. She snapped her fingers and she was back to wearing her usual Science Academy uniform that everyone was accustomed to seeing. She then held her hand away from her body and opened her palm, opening up a sub-portal. "Well, let's go." she remarked as she and Ryoko entered the portal.

--------

Both mother and daughter exited the portal in the living area of the Masaki household. A quick glance outside let them know that it was now dark. The smell floating in the air let the pair know that it was dinner time.

"Man, that sure does smell good Sasami," Washu praised as she inhaled the various aromas; she shifted into her child form causing Ryoko to raise an eyebrow but she said nothing. That kid could probably give her cooking skills a run for their money.

The pink eyed girl peered around the kitchen corner. "Oh, hi Little Washu! Hi, Ryoko!" she enthusiastically greeted her two friends. "Where were you Ryoko?" she asked, genuinely concerned as she exited the kitchen with the food in order to set up the table.

"Ah....uh...." the demoness faltered. She wasn't ready to tell where she had been; she felt she had to guard that information.

Washu helped her daughter out. "I was running some test on her Sasami and I lost track of time. I'm sorry I kept her away from you for so long," she lied smoothly, as she took a seat at the table.

The blue haired girl accepted the answer. She knew, as they all knew, that Washu had moments where she'd select random housemates and run various tests on them for whatever reasons. And depending on the experiment it could be anywhere within the scientists lab.

Ryoko took up residence in her usual seat as well. It didn't take long for Sasami to set the table and in no time she was calling the other housemates to dinner; they quickly made their way to the table. It had been a while since all members of the household ate together.

"Hey, Ryoko," Tenchi greeted his friend; he was glad to see her.

"Hi Tenchi," the cyan haired female replied, not going any further than that in her greeting. She no longer had the right.

He was a bit surprised that she didn't lean into him or drape herself on him in a hug. He didn't get a chance to think on it because he was knocked from his thoughts by his grandfather speaking.

"Now, what is so important that you needed all of us present?" Yosho inquired, in his usual tone.

"Oh, that's right!" the shorted haired teen said as he stood up. "Everyone, I have something very important to tell all of you." There was a long pause before he continued. "I'm in love, with Ayeka," he admitted.

Silence engulfed the room. As he watched his friends, waiting for their reactions he focused intently on Ryoko. He was well aware of what she could do and what could happen which is why his gaze remained fixed on her; he steeled himself and tried to prepare himself for what he was sure to come.

"Congratulations," Ryoko said completely shocking everyone, even her own mother. "I'm happy for you," she added with a smile; it wasn't forced but an actual smile.

"Uh...thank you," the purple haired princess responded for a lack of anything better. Out of everything she honestly hadn't expected that.

: That was truly unexpected Ryoko: Washu pointed out across their link.

A mental chuckled echoed throughout the pirates mind. : I'm not happy that I'm not the love of his life, but I am glad he's with someone who makes him happy: she replied.

: You've truly grown:

Ryoko simply shrugged. As she continued to eat her dinner she listened as everyone bombarded the couple with questions; she chuckled as she watched both the Prince and Princess of Jurai blush when asked certain questions.

True, Ryoko was a bit sore about losing but she was not jealous. She knew it would take her sometime to get used to Tenchi showing affection for Ayeka but she'd manage; hopefully, there was someone out there for her too. While she hadn't fully come to terms with their relationship she did at least accept it.

--------

Next time: Now that Ryoko has made peace with the situation, mother and daughter begin to spend some "recovery" time together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own not a single TM character.**

**A/n:** _Sorry this wasn't out sooner, I've been swampped with school work on my final week of school^^;. Enjoy._

Chapter 3: Growing Closer

Life continued on for the family as it always had, with the exception of Ryoko and Ayeka fighting for Tenchi's affection; it was almost as if nothing had happened, but looking at Ayeka and Tenchi holding hands or kissing proved otherwise. It had been a week since Tenchi had revealed his secret relationship to Ayeka and everyone was taking the news surprisingly well, even Ryoko.

The pirate was currently lounging about on her favorite rafter sipping sake. One of her legs and her tail were dangling over the edge. She had one arm supporting her head while the other swirled around the saucer with her alcoholic beverage in it. She took another sip as her golden eyes looked toward the ceiling; she listened as the rain tapped lightly on the house.

So much was running through her mind that it almost left her baffled; she thought about the events of the past week. Now she wasn't jealous that she wasn't chosen but she was broken hearted. Each time she saw Tenchi hold Ayeka, kiss her, tell her he loved her it made the cyan haired woman's heart ache even more; she tried to fight away the pain she felt but she could.

The golden eyed woman heard a noise and cast her gaze downward. It was Ayeka giggling and blushing as Tenchi whispered into her ear. Ryoko had to fight back a growl, she heard every word that was said to the elder princess; Ryoko did have very acute hearing after all. She turned her eyes back toward the ceiling and tried to ignore the hushed words being spoken.

_Why does it still hurt so much?_, the demon caller thought, as she felt a pang within her chest. _I've accepted the fact the he loves her so why is my heart still hurting?_

: Because you've had your heart torn out: Washu answered over their link as she emerged from her lab. She then proceeded to the kitchen, where she got herself an apple before she went to lean in the entrance to the kitchen.

Ryoko remained silent she knew the genius was right. This was another thing that was on Ryoko's mind: Washu was actually lending her a shoulder to cry on, not that the pirate had cried since she first found out about the relationship. Still, why was Washu trying to be there for her?

: Ryoko?: the jade eyed woman called to her daughter. The demoness turned her attention to the graduate. : Would you mind taking a bath with me?: she silently requested.

The younger woman weighed her options. She could stay up in the rafters and listen to Tenchi and Ayeka flirting with one another or, she could go and bathe with Washu in the Onsen and relax. In any other case she would have taken the formal over the latter, however, the latter seemed like a much better option.

: Sure: came mental answer from the demoness as she teleported herself to the Onsen, not waiting for the scientist.

-----------

By the time Washu had teleported herself to the Onsen, which wasn't even ten seconds later; her child was already submerged beneath the green tinted water. She watched as the golden eyed girl swam beneath the water as if she were in a pool. The space pirate didn't stay submerged for long and came up in front of the former Science Academy student.

Ryoko's cyan locks stuck to her wet body in such a cute and seductive way. The water ran down her smooth, peach colored skin; the droplets glided down her perky breasts over hardened nipples, erected from the heat of the water, down to her flat and toned stomach all the way down to the hairless core of her being.

The sight was breath taking and the older woman had to fight off the urge to bluntly stare at her daughter's body, even if the younger woman's form was begging for attention. No, Ryoko didn't need that and be reminded of her forgotten past right now. What the pirate needed at the moment was someone to be there for her.

"Hey, Washu! Did you hear me?!" the taller woman yelled, a tad irritated, knocking the older woman from her thought.

"Sorry," the smaller woman responded, as she shook her head. "What did you say?" she asked, as she removed her clothing and entered into the welcoming mineral water, positioning herself against the side of the bath.

"I asked would you like to share a drink with me?"

"Oh, of course," the genius answered, nodding her head quickly.

The teen then poured the "child" a saucer and handed it to her; the crab haired woman accepted it gratefully. Ryoko's saucer was already filled before she asked the graduate to join her. They sat side by side, sipping their drinks slowly and in silence. It used to be a rare sight for them to be this close to one another without arguing, however, things had changed that.

As Washu sat beside the younger female she knew that her relative wasn't alright as she appeared; Ryoko's heart was still suffering and would take time to mend. Contrary to what the others believed the demon caller had not healed yet, her situation was similar to a wound: you get injured and it hurts, you accept that after you cry about it and then you wait for it to heal over leaving nothing but a scar.

The scientist knew all too well what the golden eyed demoness was going through. All those millennia ago, when her husband had left her with their son she had been devastated; him choosing to leave her made her believe that her love for him meant nothing and her heart clenched in agony. She had later discovered that he had an arranged marriage to another woman and they had been "engaged" since they were children; that information caused her heart to shatter.

She knew exactly what her daughter was going through which was why she wanted to help Ryoko through the pain. When Washu had gone through the same thing, there was no one there for her to talk to, to comfort her, of to help take her mind off the pain; she had only found solstice in her work so she submerged herself in it. The red haired female would not allow for her daughter to walk in her footsteps, not on this path.

"Washu…" Ryoko inquired in a low tone, causing the shorter woman to look in her direction. This question had been nagging at her mind for a while and she needed an answer. "Why are you all of a sudden trying to be here for me? Is it because you see this as a chance for you to weasel your way into my life while I'm having problems? You help me through them and then suddenly you're my mother?" she questioned. She had not planned to ask so many questions but after being deceived once she couldn't handle deception a second time; Washu was starting to grow on her faster now than in the past for a reason she wasn't ready to admit.

A sigh passed through the lips of the 12 year old form of Washu. She could sense the small traces of fear in her daughter's mind over what the answer might be; she couldn't fault the taller woman for her questions though, she knew why the golden eyed teen asked.

"Ryoko," the scientist began, placing her free hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "I'm helping you because you're my daughter and I can't stand to see you in pain. I know all too well what you're going through right now and trying to bear the pain all alone can be unbearable, believe me I know," she informed her offspring. "I know I haven't been the best motherly figure nor have I acted like a mother to you since I came to live here but, I have no ulterior motives. I only want to be a pillar of strength that you can lean on whenever you feel over whelmed or if you just want someone to talk to."

Ryoko absorbed that information. Before she could speak Washu spoke up again, shifting into her adult form, as she took Ryoko's face in her hand and turned her daughter's face to meet her own. "I'm sorry I'm trying to be a mother at a time like this but I don't want you believing that I'm acting this way just so I can have you acknowledge me as your mother. Who knows maybe a relationship can be built between us from this but that is not what I'm pushing for. What I'm pushing for is to have my daughter get through this experience and possibly grow and learn from it, that is the truth," she added her voice strong and filled with an unidentified emotion.

The demon caller stared into her creator's eyes. She saw that the taller woman was telling the truth and she could sense the emotions flowing across the link confirming it. "Thank you…for being honest with me," Ryoko responded as she stared into lime eyes.

The graduate smiled. "You're welcome," she replied as she released her child's face. She then leaned back against the wall of the bath. "So, any other questions?" she questioned as she returned to her drink.

The smaller woman shook her head, even though she did have questions. The cyan haired fighter then tossed her head back and stared up at the sky. The remainder of their bath was spent with them making small conversation, which Washu was glad to have; their bath concluded and each of the two women were about to go their separate ways when Ryoko spoke.

"Uhm…Washu?" she called to the green eyed woman's back.

Washu stopped and turned halfway to look at the pirate. "Yes?" she answered/asked.

The younger female felt so weird for asking this but she did want to try since the former Science Academy student was trying also. "I…uh…was wondering…if you aren't busy or anything…would you uh…like to…hang out…tomorrow?" she suggested shyly which was so unlike herself; she always felt strange emotions when Washu was in her adult form.

The red haired scientist couldn't fight off the smile that graced her mouth. Ryoko wanted to spend time with her, they hadn't spent time together since the day Kagato torn their lives apart. Another reason she was smiling was because of the way Ryoko looked while proposing the offer; the younger woman had her hands behind her back, face shifting between looking down at the floor and toward Washu, one foot scuffed the ground while her tail twitched nervously.

_Such a cute, innocent look,_ the mother thought. "I'd like that," she answered with a nod of her head. "I do have one thing to do tomorrow morning so can we get started later in the day? Say 11 or 12?" she requested.

It was the golden eyed warrior's time to nod. "Okay," she answered.

Once that was done the two women exited the Onsen and went about their day as usual, until that night. That night was movie night for the family and it was Mihoshi's turn to pick the movie they watched; despite the weather it had been a good day for all.

(New Day)--------

Ryoko was in a joyful mood for a reason that escaped her but she didn't really try to figure it out. Maybe it had something to do with the weather outside: it was a bright cloudless day; she didn't contribute that her mood came from the fact the she would be hanging out with Washu later that day. Her joyful mood did not go unnoticed.

"Wow, Ryoko you sure are happy this morning," Tenchi commented as he entered the house. He had just returned from training with grandfather; he looked a little beat up and smelled sweaty.

"Huh?" came Ryoko's surprised reply as she looked down from her rafters. "Oh, hi Tenchi, I didn't notice you come in," she answered.

"I just got back from the shrine, grandpa's really been stepping up on my training," he informed her with a sigh. "So, what's got you so happy this morning?" he repeated his earlier question.

He was only met with a shrug of the pirate's shoulders. "Nothing really, why do you ask?"

"I'm just glad to see you happy. To be honest, I didn't know how you'd react to my relationship with Ayeka but you surprised me with how well you accepted it," he admitted while rubbing his head sheepishly. "Thank you for being so understanding Ryoko," he added with a smile.

Before she could respond, Ayeka called Tenchi to help her with something. Tenchi gave Ryoko a quick farewell before going to see what his girlfriend wanted. Ryoko watched him go, she would have laid back down but Sasami called her.

"Ryoko!" the blue haired princess called to her friend. "Could you come with me to the store? There are a couple of things I need to buy for dinner tonight?" she asked, looking up toward the older girl.

"Sure thing kiddo," the spiky haired woman answered with a smile. She enjoyed spending time with Sasami, she teleported herself down reappearing next to the younger girl. "Let's get going!"

(Washu's Home)--------

Washu was currently asleep in her bed; it was a nice change as opposed to falling asleep at her work station. As she lay in her bed, her breathing was heavy and slight noises were escaping her lips; her body tossed and turned itself. Apparently, she was having a _pleasant_ dream.

--------

_An adult Washu lay sweating and panting heavily in bed; her red mane stuck to various parts of her body. The room was dark, but the rays spilling in from the several moons gave certain parts of the room light._

_From what could be seen the room was large, which seemed to be the red haired scientist's style. Hidden in shadows appeared to be paintings, which were mounted on the walls, and furniture about the room. Then, in the center of the room, was a bed that was larger than a king size with white curtains wrapped around it to give off a sense of privacy._

_To say that someone had wrestled in the bed would have been an understatement but, the word would have to suffice. The sheets were torn up from the bed, pillows were scattered about the bed, a few had even ended up on the floor, and half the comforter was hanging from the bed; the rest covered the emerald eyed female._

_Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Washu was lying in bed naked; the way she held the covers closely and tightly to her body strengthened this fact. A gentle, loving, smile graced her lips as she focused on getting her heartbeat and breathing back to normal again._

_Suddenly, there was a weight on the bed before another body, smaller body, was lying next to the genius. The stranger, masked in darkness, moved their head and buried their head into the neck of the taller female, nuzzling her gently; and, also licking and nipping at the highly sensitive skin._

"_So, I take it you missed me?" the red head teased, even though she already knew the answer. She brought up a hand and began to rub her bed mate's hair._

_Washu was met with a nod. "A lot," came their response. Suddenly, the figure moved and was now straddling the taller woman; sitting allowed the silhouette of the person to show. They appeared to be female, just from the curves their body showed but the development of breasts helped too. They smiled, their elongated canines showing, before leaning down to attack the sweaty woman's lips, while their hands went to attack other things._

"_Ah!" the crab haired woman cried out._

---------

Washu shot up from her bed with a start. Her body, which had unconsciously shifted into its adult form, was covered in a light sweat. She breathed heavily, trying to clam herself down. Once she was clam enough she brought and arm up and draped it over her eyes.

"Great now I've got to change my sheets," she muttered as she felt the dampness between her legs and on her sheets.

The scientist quickly removed herself from the bed and with a snap of her fingers the sheets on her bed were exchanged for a fresh pair. She then went about getting herself cleaned up. _How long has it been since I had a dream like that,_ she wondered as she stepped into her shower; well, technically it wasn't a dream but a memory of her life before she had been imprisoned by Kagato.

It was just one memory of the many times that she and her lover had shared passionate nights together; this lover was not Mikamo as most people would have assumed. No, this was another lover, her true soul mate; however, their love was not seen as normal and was seen as taboo by a majority of races, if they were ever found out, Jurains especially.

Still, what others thought of the relationship didn't matter to them; they only cared about the others thoughts. Their life was wonderful and she was sure that one day they could've gotten married but, fate had other plans in store for them. They were torn apart by a powerful force and while Washu remembered every aspect of their time together, the other was forced to forget everything.

The red haired female had to place her had on the wall to steady herself as a pain tugged at her heart. She found herself fighting back tears just thinking about _that_ part of her past. When she had first been reunited with Ryoko, she thought they could have picked up where they left off, yet that was not the case.

Ryoko didn't remember her at all. Ryoko didn't believe that Washu was her mother; the demon caller only saw Washu as her creator. Ryoko had no memory of her childhood, her time at the Academy, her friends, her talents, her hobbies, and worst of all…Ryoko didn't remember her relationship with Washu that was well past a normal mother daughter relationship.

The emerald eyed female had been heartbroken to learn not only did her child not remember her, both as a mother and a lover, but that Ryoko was in love with Tenchi. Every time the pirate flung herself at the Earthling, even if each time failed, hurt the graduate to see; it also angered Washu to see all the affection that Tenchi had from her daughter made her envious because the teen male didn't know how good he had it.

Truth be told she never thought that Tenchi was worthy of Ryoko from the beginning; the jade eyed graduate actually thought it was gay when she first met him but later learned that he just had trouble talking to girls in a romantic sense. Despite that fact, she knew he would never be able to handle the golden eyed woman; he wouldn't be able to fulfill the pirate at all and she would always want more from him but Washu would be able to satisfy Ryoko's every urge, leaving her content and fulfilled.

As much as she wanted to embrace her daughter in her arms she knew it would be a very bad idea, for obvious reasons. "I really need to get this out of my head," she growled as she held her head beneath the water. "I've been able to keep my mind of these thoughts for this long…besides I don't need to be unstable around Ryoko. How can she heal if the person she's leaning on isn't together, plus we're supposed to be hanging out together today, don't need her thinking I don't want to spend time with her," she commented to herself as she finished up her shower.

(Later)------

Washu and Ryoko were currently walking through a very large mall. Just from the items being marketed it was clear that they weren't on Earth. As the pair walked around they received nervous glances from some people, which was not uncommon; Ryoko was a legendary space pirate and despite her being pardoned for all her crimes it didn't stop people from being fearful, and weary, of her.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," the cyan haired female remarked as she noticed the stares she was getting from people and these stares had nothing to do with the fact that she was a hottie.

The taller woman scoffed. "Nonsense, these people should know that you're no longer a wanted criminal and it's not like you're about to rob the place," the mother pointed out, sending a sharp glare to a man looking at the pirate with disgust. The look was enough to make him look away.

The shorter woman nodded. They walked a little longer before something in a window caught the pirate's eye. She quickly flew to the window. "Oh wow!" she exclaimed as she stared at some iPods on display, this one was silver. "I can't believe they actually have this model here!" she sounded like an over excited child.

The emerald eyed graduate couldn't help laughing out loud, gaining her daughter's attention. "Hey! What's so funny?!" the demoness demanded to know, slightly offended.

"Nothing," the older woman answered once she finally caught her breath. "I'm just glad to see that some things never change," she commented.

The demon caller arched an eye brow. "What do you mean?" her voice filled with curiosity.

"I mean you've always been something of a little window shopper," Washu explained in a fond tone. "You'd buzz around the malls and stores so much, looking in store windows that I practically had to pry you out of the mall when it was time to go," she informed the golden eyed woman as she reminisced about a memory.

The demon caller noticed the far off look in the jade eyed female's eyes. _She makes it sound as if I had a childhood and use to be so innocent,_ she thought to herself.

: And you don't think so?: the genius inquired/stated mentally.

Ryoko looked away from her creator/mother, confirming that she did not believe the scientists words. It wasn't that she doubted Washu, a part of her wanted to believe it, but she just had nothing to go on. All she knew was everything but innocent.

"Kagato use to say such things," the golden cat-like eyed woman began. "How I had a childhood and use to be innocent. Just to give me hope so he could crush it out of me for believing such foolish things," she stated in a monotone voice.

"But Ryoko I'm not…"

Washu was interrupted by the tailed woman holding her hand up. "I know you're not lying, Washu. It's just a tad frustrating how you remember the good ole days while I have nothing to go on but screams and bloodshed," she admitted looking off in shame for a moment.

"Then let me help you remember?" the older of the two offered/pleaded with her child. She wasn't offering to push the pirate into remembering their relationship but just to be able to remember the better half of her life. As a deep silence engulfed them, Washu was sure that her offer would be turned down.

"L-lemme think on it…okay?" the cyan haired female answered, she didn't feel if she was quite ready to learn about her past just yet.

The scientist nodded slowly. "Sure," she replied. She had expected to be turned down but once again Ryoko surprised her by meeting her half-way in her request.

After "serious talk" was done they went back to walking around the mall, not before Ryoko took one more glace at the object of her desires. She wanted it _so_ badly but she didn't have the money and the urge to steal the item was damn tempting but she resisted, she wasn't a criminal anymore.

The pair spent the next hour or so at the mall before they decided to get something to eat. Washu suggested this little steakhouse restaurant that served good food, so they went there; the taller woman paid for the meal saying how she suggested they go there. They left the planet a little after sunset; it was already nightfall when they returned home.

"Uhm, Washu…thanks for hanging out with me today," the younger girl said as she and the genius appeared in the living area of the Masaki household.

"Sure thing," the mother commented as she stretched her arms above her head. It had been a long while since she had been, and remained, in her adult form for long periods of time. "Anything for my Little Ryoko," she added, latching onto her daughter playfully.

"Ah!" The former criminal cried, careful to keep her voice down, as she struggled to release herself from the embrace. "Hey, knock it off!"

The crab haired woman released her child, laughing as she did so; a smile tugged at Ryoko's lips as well. "Seriously though, thanks for asking me. It's a nice change of pace from being in the lab a majority of the day," she remarked, as she headed toward the lab. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

"I'll leave you guessing on that one," Ryoko answered with a smirk. "Anyways, good night Washu," she added as she teleported herself up into the rafters.

"Good night Ryoko," Washu responded as she entered her lab.

As the former pirate was preparing herself for bed she noticed something poking out beneath her pillow; she never slept with anything more. Curious, she removed the pillow and discovered a bag.

_That's odd,_ she thought as she picked up the bag. _Someone got me a gift?_

She held the bag upside down and emptied its contents into her hand. She gasped as she saw what the gift was the moment it touched her hand: the iPod she had wanted. But this thing was super expensive because of all the features on here that weren't on Earth iPods. But how…she hadn't told anyone she had wanted one except…

"Washu," the tailed woman breathed out the name. She was touched that the scientist had bought her something; Ryoko had never gotten her anything. Yet, Washu took it upon herself to do something nice for her. "Thank you," she muttered as she laid down to sleep.

: You're welcome, my Little Ryoko: came the mental response to the now dozing pirate. From the tone of the graduate's voice it was clear that she was happy.

---------

Next time: Ryoko goes to Washu and they spend a heartfelt moment together. Also, the pirate has something to ask of her mother.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own not a single TM character.**

**A/n: **_Once again, I;m sorry for the slow update. Just bare with me a little longer and I promise I'll be back to updating once a week again._

Chapter 4: Progressing Toward the Future

It had been a month since Washu and Ryoko had first hung out together; ever since then it had been happening a bit more frequently, not an everyday thing but more like weekly. Their time together didn't go unnoticed: the other family members noticed how the two women acted around one another as compared to in the past. It was nice to see them getting along even if none of them knew the reasons behind it. Things were definitely changing at the Masaki residence.

"Oh, good morning Ryoko. Good morning Little Washu," Sasami greeted the space pirate and scientist as she came down the stairs with Ryo-Ohki chasing after her. It was another sunny morning.

"Hey, Sasami," the cyan haired female responded with a bright smile, as she listened to her iPod.

"Hi-ya," the red head replied as she stood beneath the rafters. Washu then her attention back to her daughter. "So, how about this evening? Say 6?" she asked with an arched eye brow.

Ryoko peered down at her mother/creator. "Why so late?" she pondered curiously. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The jade eyed graduate turned and began walking toward her lab. She opened the door and stepped half way in before answering. "Because you have chores to do Little Ryoko," she said before quickly ducking into the safety of her lab before her child threw something her way.

"Washu!" the golden eyed teen yelled before tossing a pillow at the closed door. Her attention was drawn from the crab haired woman by the sound of laughter; Sasami and Ryo-Ohki were laughing at her. "What's so funny?"

"You," the shorter girl pointed out. "It's nice to see you and Washu being playful with each other," she commented.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the taller of the two tried to play dumb. Regardless of the time she spent with Washu, Ryoko still felt shy about her interactions with the redhead and felt downright embarrassed when she was caught.

"It's okay Ryoko, I won't tell anyone," the blue haired child informed her friend. She knew it was hard for the older woman to fully express herself and even harder when it came to her feelings toward Washu.

The demoness smiled at her friend and her life time companion/space ship. "Thanks," she said. "Say, wadda ya say we hop to those chores," she added, changing the subject, and jumping off her beam and landing next to the younger princess. She took Sasami by the hand and led the girl outside; the only reason Ryoko wanted to do her share of chores was because she wanted to get to where she was going without Washu stalling later.

(Later)-------

"Well that certainly was fun," the scientist commented as she and her offspring arrived back home late into the night; arriving late had sort of become their ritual. They had gone to an Intergalatic Brawl on Senix 9.

"I know!" the younger of the two exclaimed as she levitated off the ground; she was just so excited because the matches had been so good.

The taller female chuckled. "Glad to see your love of fighting hasn't decreased," she remarked as they entered the house as quietly as they possibly could. A look of sadness crossed Ryoko's features when she was told that information but the mother missed it because her back was to Ryoko. "Okay next time I pick where we go," she added.

"Okay, just make sure it isn't something boring like a museum," the child teased with a smirk. She had to admit teasing her relative in a friendly way was also fun.

"Hey! I'm more than just science I'll have you know!" the emerald eyed woman countered, placing one hand on her hip while she used the other one to shake her finger at the demon caller. In fact, she could be quite the party animal as he daughter would learn next week.

"I'll believe it when I see it," the former criminal countered. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. Night Washu," she remarked.

"Good night Ryoko," the mother said as they both went their separate ways for the night.

----------

_A young Ryoko, who looked no older than 7, was breathing heavily and down on one knee. Sweat practically dripped off her face and made it difficult for her to hold her energy sword properly. She had numerous wounds and gashes on her body, making her red/black battle suit cling to her body even more._

_Her face had cuts and scrapes also; hell, some parts were even singed and throbbed with a steady pain. The room they were in looked an absolute mess: pillars broken, the floor dented, and rubble everywhere. Only two things were unscathed in the room, his organ and __**him**__._

_Golden, cat-like eyes watched her opponent with a mixture of emotions: fear was the dominant one, though she tried not to show it knowing what would happen to her if she did. Yet, she couldn't help it…__**he **__terrified her to no end. He stared at her with cold eyes filled with disgust, anger, and other emotions._

"_Get up you worthless creature," he growled, his voice filled with anger and annoyance._

_The child tried to do as he said, knowing it would "please" __**him**__ and safe off a beating for the time being. As she tried to push herself back into a standing position the silver-ish blue haired child released a low, but not in auditable, yelp; she fell back into her original position. Casting her gaze to her right leg, she saw that there was a puncture wound in her flesh._

"_I-I can't…my legs," the young Ryoko whispered but before she could finish her sentence __**he**__ was upon her. _

_The silver haired man lifted her up by the neck. Squeezing hard enough to cut off her air supply; her small hands clawed at his larger one trying to make him release her but to no avail. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes and began to fall slowly despite her trying to will herself not to._

"_I-I can't breathe!" the golden eyed seven year old cried out as best she could with his strong hands wrapped around her neck._

"_Machines don't need air," came the adult male's response before adding more pressure to his grip on her little neck. Ryoko continued to struggle. "Either you __**will**__ stop breathing or you __**will**__ die. Simple as that," he informed the child, a smirk on his face._

_His words confused the silver-ish blue haired girl and it had nothing to do with her being 7 years old. Still, she knew it was better to trust him, rather his "advice", than to ignore his words. So, as best she could with a gloved hand around her throat, she tried to concentrate on not breathing by the best way she knew how: holding her breath._

_At first it worked and then…it turned back. She couldn't hold her breath for long because her lungs began to hurt from not releasing the air in her lungs and bringing in a fresh breath. However, __**he**__ would not allow her to do such a thing; __**he**__ tightened his grip again, this time bones were heard being crushed and __**he**__ brought his other hand up to cover her mouth and nose, adding pressure there as well._

_The 7 year old began to panic, which was not a good thing. Yet, she could not help it, she thought she was about to be suffocated by this evil, and cruel man. She felt her lungs begin to burn, at first a light stinging sensation and then it felt like actually flames had started in her chest. She felt dizzy, light headed even, and then…the pain was gone._

"_Well I see you finally grasped the concept," the taller man stated, almost in a bored tone. He still continued to keep his hands in place though._

_Suddenly, he brought his knee up and smashed it into the still developing child's abdomen; her cat-like eyes went wide, spit and specks of blood soiling his gloved hand, while her body shook from the blow. But, it was not the last; she knew what to expect and she had only been with him a day._

_The glasses wearing male then proceeded to unleash a furry of attacks on her by creating another body so his hands could be free. He punched, kicked, stabbed, cut, and burned her. Once he was done his second body disappeared and then, the real him, released her battered body to the ground, where it shook in pain._

"_Let this be a lesson to you, you worthless thing. Don't even tell me you can't do something ever again for the rest of your pathetic and miserable existence," he remarked venomously, looking at her with cold eyes._

_Ryoko barely heard his threat, her mind was more focused on the pain she was in and how much she was afraid of him. "Mommy…mommy help me…please?" she began to mutter as she curled into a ball as best she could._

_An amused laugh suddenly filled the room. The pale skinned man laughed loudly, placing his hand over his eye. "Stupid, girl, you're a machine, you were created; __**I**__ created you. You were not born so you don't have a mother. Who would want to be a mother to a thing like you anyway?"He asked, but it was both a statement and a rhetorical question. "Honestly, if I knew you were going to be this much of a disappointment I never would have bothered with creating you."_

_The blood stained female simply did nothing but listen to him berate her; promising to kill her if she disappointed him and to up her training level tomorrow, things of that nature. She honestly didn't care about the words he spoke, they fell upon death ears. All she knew was that she hated __**him**__…she hated…__**Kagato**__._

----------

Ryoko awoke with a start from her nightmare. She was drenched in a cold sweat and her breathing was heavy and labored. Catlike eyes scanned her surroundings, making sure she was within the safety and confines of the Masaki household and not aboard the Souja.

'_Another nightmare involving...him, that's the fifth one in three weeks, Why?'_ she wondered to herself as she turned her attention outside.

She noticed that it was unusually dark out, causing her to tense; even after 3 years of freedom she still feared the chilling, mind numbing darkness. She then recalled Washu mentioning something about a new moon sometime this week, when the moon was no longer visible.

Still, that knowledge did not put her at ease. The darkness brought back so many unpleasant memories for her that she wished she could just forget but knew she never could. The dark reminded her of Kagato, of when he controlled her body forcing her own mind into darkness, and when Yosho sealed her within the cave for several centuries.

Normally, if she had a bad dream she would run to Tenchi's room and that would put her at ease; being around him fought away the evil's that still plagued her mind. However, now that the boy was no longer single she could no longer do those things; Ayeka would never understand if she awoke in the morning and found Ryoko hovering above the bed, so Ryoko simply turned to her iPod which was able to bring her some comfort but…not always.

Honestly, who could truly understand the things she had been through? Ryoko wasn't asking for pity from anyone, she just wished that there was someone who understood exactly what she felt at times; all she had was the others sympathy, not their empathy. No one truly understood her and now that the only person who could comfort her was gone who else could she turn to and gain comfort.

Suddenly, it dawned on the pirate who she could go to. She hopped from her beam and walked over to the entrance to a certain scientist's lab door. She reached toward the door and then hesitated, she was…scared; this was something she never thought to do with the scientist.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," the tailed woman commented to herself showing how nervous and fearful she was from her idea. _She did say that she wanted to be there for me, guess now's the perfect time to see how far her words extend,_ the demon caller thought as she entered the lab.

(New Day)--------

"Ayeka...Ayeka..." Tenchi cooed into the sleeping woman's ear, trying to gently coax her awake.

Ayeka, first crowned princess of Jurai, awoke that morning to a very pleasant sight. Her red eyes were looking directly into the eyes of her lover: Tenchi Masaki. His arms were wrapped around her bare form in a secure, loving embrace, pressing her back close against his bare chest. Each day that she awoke within his arms, even after a month of making their relation public, still felt like a dream.

"Good morning my love," she greeted with a tender smile on her lips.

The black haired teen leaned down and placed a gentle kiss upon her soft lips; she accepted it with tender enthusiasm. After a minute they broke apart. "Ayeka, I have to go and train with grandpa this morning," he informed his girlfriend while at the same time explaining why he had awoken her from her sleep; he wanted to let her know where he was going.

The princess nodded. "Of course you're training...I almost forgot about it," she admitted. She had hoped that they would be able to remain in bed and do..."other things", as they had done last night. Still, it would seem her plans would have to be put on hold for the moment.

"Hey, how's about when I get back from training and the fields you and I go out tonight?" he proposed with a smile.

The purple haired girl nodded. "I think that would be lovely," she answered, her heart pounding at the thought of going out on a date in public with her lover.

The couple shared another kiss before Tenchi exited the bed. Ayeka watched as he dressed himself before exiting the room; he did flash another smile before he left. Once the door closed Ayeka rolled onto her back and sighed in contentment; this was definitely a dream come true.

---------

Washu awoke that morning and immediately realized that she was not alone. Spitting out a mouthful of cyan hair informed her of that fact. "Wh-Little Ryoko?" she muttered sleepily.

She rose up slightly and looked down, her daughter was snuggled up close to her taller form, her hair spewed everywhere, and her tail lay across her mother's waist.

The redhead did wonder why her child was sleeping with her but she was not about to complain; she'd find out why later. Washu made sure that Ryoko was covered properly with the comforter before propping herself up on one arm and smiling gently at her daughter. She took her hand and gently tucked a cyan lock behind the former pirate's ear.

The scientist then settled herself back within the warmth of the covers; she tried not to move too much because she didn't want to awaken the smaller woman. Placing an arm over the snoozing girl, rubbing her hair in the process, Washu drifted back off to sleep.

---------

The sound of heavy breathing and swords clashing could be heard coming from the area of the shrine. The noises easily traveled through the quiet morning air, scaring birds as they passed over head. This was not something that was unusual, it happened on a near regular basis.

In a small clearing, a few yards from Masaki shrine, resided Tenchi and his grandfather. Each stood on opposite sides of the clearing, holding a bokken at their side. No words passed between them, they just stood there staring at one another.

The older Masaki male seemed to be fine. By looking at his appearance it was difficult to tell that he had been engaged in combat with his grandson only moments before. His breathing was even and there wasn't even a bruise on him; not even a hair on his head was out of place. However, Tenchi was another matter.

The teenager soon to be legal adult was the complete opposite of his opponent. Sweat poured down his face, making it shine in the rays of light that exited the trees. His breathing was coming and going in heavy pants and multiple bruises covered his torso, he had removed his shirt during their first break since it had become so sweaty, and there were even a few bruises on his face.

"Come now Tenchi, breaks over," Yosho said as he took his fighting stance. "In true battles there are no breaks. You either learn to endure and balance out your energy or you die," he added.

"Right grandpa," the brown eyed boy remarked as he nodded his head in determination, taking to his fighting stance also.

Once again silence passed between them; each man sizing up the others stance and trying to predict the other's course of action. The trees rustled as a breezed, welcomed by the two fighters, Tenchi most of all, passed through them. Suddenly, they launched themselves at each other.

The elder man came at the ink haired man with his sword behind him before raising it above his head, preparing to strike Tenchi on the head; it was something of a trademark move Yosho did on the boy. Tenchi dodged a blow to the head from his grandfather's bokken. The young teen side stepped and tried to land a hit to his teacher's side; the seasoned fighter predicted the move which explained why he was able to quickly block his grandson's counter-attack.

"Is that the best you can do Tenchi?" the gray haired man pondered, as he landed and punch to the younger male's torso, sending him sliding back a few feet.

The ink haired teen touched his now sore abdomen; honestly, where did that old man get all his strength? Before Tenchi had a chance to recover his sensei charged at him. Yosho unleashed a series of slashes, kicks, and punches upon his pupil, attacking Tenchi as if he were an actual enemy.

The adolescent male did his best to avoid as many of the blows as possible; he was doing better than he had done in the past because he normally would have lost by now ending up with a number of bruises on his body. Tenchi waited until he saw an opening, it was small but it was there, before he went on the offensive.

"Take this!" he exclaimed as he lunged at his master. For once, Tenchi actually felt that he had an advantage over his grandfather. He felt that today was the day that he finally defeated his sensei.

The younger male swung his bokken at the old man's knees, trying to knock off his sense of balance; it forced Yosho to put some distance between himself and his pupil, doing exactly what Tenchi had wanted. The brown eyed high school student suddenly charged the gray haired man. Tenchi appeared to be going in for a direct attack before he suddenly jumped over Yosho and about to attack him from behind.

_Yes, I've finally got him! _The black haired man thought as he was preparing to bring his bokken down on his master's head.

Suddenly, Tenchi felt a pain on his head; it was subtle but it still hurt like hell. The shirtless man knew that feeling all too well; his grandfather had beaten him…again. Tenchi's sword was still in mid air while Yosho's was placed calmly and smoothly atop the boy's head.

"That's enough for today," Yosho said as he removed his wooden weapon. "You're improving," he commented.

"Glad you noticed grandpa," Tenchi responded in something of a dejected tone. He had been so close. Damn!

"Do not hang your head in same Tenchi. Losing is a part of learning, you cannot hope to grow stronger if you do not lose at times and gain something from it in return," the frame wearing teacher stated his words of wisdom as he headed back toward the shrine.

The adolescent simply took in his grandfather's words; honestly, the man was such a guru. Tenchi took his weapon and placed it in the shrine before making his way towards the fields, judging by the sun it was probably noon already. If he worked quickly and twice as hard maybe he could be back home around 3 instead of arriving home late in the evening.

---------

Ryoko awoke once again to the sun shining on her face. She groaned loudly from annoyance. The golden eyed warrior tried to turn her face away from the rays but noticed that something was preventing her from doing so; she cracked open hers eyes to see what that "something" was.

"Huh?"

"Good morning to you too Little Ryoko," Washu began. "I see you're finally awake," she pointed out, arm still wrapped protectively around her daughter.

"W-Washu?" the pirate inquired wondering how she got into the genius's bed. Last she remembered she had fallen asleep up in the rafters.

"The one and only," the mother said in a light tone. "Ryoko, not that I'm complaining or anything but, how'd you get in here anyway? For that matter why are you here?" she questioned genuinely curious.

Suddenly, the events from late last night early this morning, along with previous nights, filled Ryoko's mind. She had had a nightmare about her time of enslavement and had gone to sleep with the scientist because she was…scared; for some reason the thought of being around the crab haired graduate made her feel safe.

"I…I had a nightmare," the cyan haired demon caller answered barely above a whisper. She found herself burying her head in her mother's neck; it felt natural for her to do so. Ryoko didn't answer the first part of her mother's question because she didn't know how she got there either.

"Oh…I see," the taller woman remarked; she could take a guess as to what, or rather who, the nightmare involved. There were numerous things Ryoko was afraid of, though she wouldn't dare admit it, but only a few could actually send her running in fear. Washu was touched that her daughter sought her for protection and comfort. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked, as she rubbed the pirate's back.

"I-It was of Kagato…" the demoness began slowly and in a low tone as if the deceased man would hear her words and come do her harm. "…He…He was _teaching_ me how to use my powers…my ability to stay alive without breathing…" she informed the older woman.

_More like tortured,_ the adult Washu thought. Kagato was not one for patience, even as a student, he sought results quickly and used any means t attain them. "He never was one to take the time to teach others," she commented. "He completely ruined your fighting skills." She added.

"Excuse me?!" the former criminal question, quite offended, while lifting herself up to stare down at the former Academy student.

"Now, now, I didn't mean it in a negative way," the mother answered, attempting to sooth her daughter's pride. "I just meant, with him "teaching" you he did mostly damage than good. Though, even at your current level you're still a deadly opponent," she tried to explain without offending the pirate; it wasn't working.

"Are you saying I'm not a good fighter?! Are you forgetting that I almost destroyed Jurai, dealing a shit load of damage to over half the planet," the cyan haired girl countered. Sure, she was not proud of her actions but she obviously had some deadly skills to do what she did to the planet; she was the only person to have ever done so, even to this day no one else can even break their defenses let along destroy them.

Washu sighed and closed her eyes. "No, I haven't forgotten that and neither have the Jurains. What I'm saying is that while under Kagato you damaged half the planet while if you were still training under me you would have annihilated Jurai in less than 10 minutes," she stated with something of pride in her voice.

Golden eyes went wide. "Did you just say training…under you?" she asked in both a curious/skeptical tone. She didn't see the older woman as a fighter because Washu could barely handle Dr. Clay. So how could Washu train her?

"Yeah, you think you learned everything you know from Kagato?" A heavy silence passed between them, giving the graduate her answer. "Love to tell you this, he didn't. I did, and before you were taken from me we were pretty far along in your training," she pointed out. "My thinking is that when he blocked out your memories he also blocked out your knowledge of your fighting skills and abilities as well."

The tailed woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. Washu was not only her mother but also her teacher as well. It just seemed so…unbelievable.

A few moments of silence hung in the air before Ryoko spoke. "Washu, I have something to ask you," she said as she pulled back a bit from the former Academy student when she became aware of how close she was to the older woman.

"Ask away," the adult Washu answered. She noticed the demon caller put a small amount of distance between them. "You know you don't have to feel embarrassed," she pointed out, referring to her child's movement.

"Huh?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You use to hang up under me all the time when you were younger," the scientist stated in a soft tone. She didn't want to sound accusing as if her daughter acted the way she did on purpose.

Golden eyes looked down in shame; again she was reminded of a life she didn't recall. "I-I don't do these things on purpose," she remarked in a low voice that was boarder line shameful. She felt bad for not being able to remember anything of her childhood.

"I know you don't Lit-I mean Ryoko," the taller of the two said softly. "So, back to your question, what did you want to ask?" she inquired.

"Will you help me remember who I am?" the shorter woman asked, looking straight into her relatives eyes. "After this nightmare, which wasn't the first, last night, I realized that I don't have any happy memories…" Ryoko was interrupted.

The graduate cut off the pirate. "That's not true, what of all the good memories you've built here?"

"I know I have them but they aren't enough. There's a hole in me that can only be filled by my past, not my present, and without them I feel…incomplete. This isn't the first time I've thought about recovering my memories, I've thought about it often, more so in these pasted few weeks than I usually have, but I always looked to Tenchi to fill that void and push those thought away…but not anymore." the demon summoner stated. "I-I want to remember too."

There was a long silence that passed between the mother and daughter. After what seemed like an eternity the emerald eyed genius finally spoke. "You know it's not going to be easy, Kagato undoubtedly went through great lengths to block out your memories and probably even greater lengths to make sure that certain areas of your brain couldn't be accesses easily," she informed the cyan haired woman of the situation; it would be far from easy. "But, I'm giving you my word that I will try as hard as I can to help you recover your memories."

The former criminal smiled. "I know…thanks…mom," she said. "Just don't hook me up to a lot of machines okay?" she joked, although underneath she was being serious.

The red haired female moved a lock of hair out of her child's face. "You're welcome, my Little Ryoko. I'll try and keep the machines down to a minimum," she added with a light laugh.

"I think I'll go start on breakfast now," she commented as she released her child. The scientist flung the covers from her body before tossing her legs over the side of the bed. "Anything specific you want?"

The younger woman yawned loudly. "Nope," she answered as she too crawled out of bed. "Hot foods just great."

The scientist rolled her eyes at her daughter's humor. "Okay but don't complain if I fix something you don't want to eat," she countered. "After breakfast I'll need to run a CAT scan on your brain so I can analysis what going on and where we should start first."

"Uh…what's a CAT scan?"

"I'm basically using a machine to take pictures of your brain," the graduate explained in laymen terms.

"Oh…okay. Maybe after we're done with this we can have a little sparing match," Ryoko suggested with a slanted smile. "Ya know, since you used to be my teacher and all," she added.

She and the older woman got out of the bed and went about their morning together.

Washu nodded. "It's a date then. Just don't start crying when you get your tail handed to you," she stated. "I've see you fight and you've gotten rusty."

The child scoffed. "As if you could lay a finger on me," she muttered.

----------

Next time: With the help of Washu, Ryoko begins to unlock her past.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own not a single TM character.**

**A/n:** _The eagerly awaited midpoint of the story (I'd really like feedback here if you guys don't mind). Again, soory for making everyone wait so long^^; Bad Wolfie, bad._

_---------_

Chapter 5: Awakening a Piece of the Past

"Are you positive this isn't going to hurt?" the cyan haired pirate questioned nervously. She was lying within a large doughnut shaped machine with lights concentrated on her forehead.

"I promise you it isn't going to hurt little one," Washu assured the girl for the fifth-teenth time since the girl had laid eyes on the machine. Normally, the redhead wouldn't use such an old model but her newer model, the one she had built, was currently under maintenance. "Now, just relax and lay still," she told her daughter as she activated the machine.

A deep breath exited the pirate; it signaled that she would try and comply with the scientist's orders. The graduate typed on her holographic laptop and soon the large machine came to life. The noises startled Ryoko and caused her heart rate to speed up; Washu felt the wave of panic cross her link and quickly sent soothing words across their mental link to calm the pirate down. It worked because it eased away the demoness's anxiety.

"Alright, you're done," the emerald catlike eyed woman stated after 15 minutes. She typed in a few commands and Ryoko was released from the confines of the machine, which the younger female was happy about.

"So...how does it look?" the shorter woman asked curiously, peering over the taller woman's shoulder. Washu being in her adult form around Ryoko was now a common thing, at least...when they were not around other family members. Washu had learned that it made interacting with the former criminal easier.

There was a small pause before the golden eyed teen received an answer. "...It doesn't look good," the crab haired female answered honestly. As she looked at the images on her laptop her heart sunk at what she saw. The damage to her child's brain, more specifically the areas that withheld information and memories, was severely damaged.

"So, does that mean there's nothing you can do?" Ryoko inquired in a dejected tone. She should have known that was she was asking was impossible.

"Hey now," the mother began as she placed a hand into the pirate's spiky mane, similar to her own. "I gave you my word that I would do everything in my power to help you didn't I?" she questioned gently and Ryoko nodded. "I'll admit, just by looking at the pictures it doesn't look good but give me a chance and some time to analyze the images and I'm sure I'll be able to find a place for us to start."

"You're right, sorry I doubted you," the shorter of the two apologized. "If anyone can figure this out it's you Washu, because you are the number one scientific genius in the universe," she added, stroking the former Academy student's ego.

"Damn right!" the taller woman exclaimed. "Now, why don't you go run along? If you decide to go back to Earth's dimension I can have the computer recognize your DNA pattern so it will allow you the option of coming back here?" she suggested, already going about updating the security system.

"Thanks but I think for right now I'll go explore around here," the cyan haired demon called informed the genius. "Last time I was here I only explored the house...I haven't looked around outside or anything."

"Well then, have fun. I'll let you know when I'm done with my analysis," the older woman pointed out as her daughter turned and exited Washu's other lab; the scientist had numerous labs but her main station was located within the Masaki household.

Once the tailed ex-criminal exited the lab Washu turned her attention back to the screen. She began studying each image, trying to find some place to start. "Damn that bastard!" she whispered as she worked.

--------

The sun was high in the sky and practically beat down on Tenchi's back; working the field, even after numerous years, never got any easier.

"Whew...it sure is hot for it to be a spring day," he remarked to no one. He stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. He stretched his muscles before getting back to plowing the fields. He was trying to move as quickly as possible, while still doing a god job, because he wanted to be home as early as he could because he wanted to spend the evening with his girlfriend.

--------

Ryoko was currently walking along the large lake near Washu's home; she still didn't see the house as hers even though Washu had told her it was _their_ home. Ryoko would only accept that when she could recall those memories on her own. She had been exploring the area for about an hour now.

Eventually, she came across a spot that she liked and took a seat near the bank of the water. She dipped her hand into the water, it was quite chilled, and simply moved it back and forth; her actions startled off the few fish that were near the area.

"This place is so nice," she whispered as she removed her hand, picked up a rock, and tossed it across the surface of the water. "Can't believe I actually grew up here," she muttered.

As she looked out onto the vast property, something within her began to stir, it felt like she should be remembering something important her. When she tried to grasp at the feeling, or maybe it was a thought, she felt a slight headache coming on preventing her from digging deeper.

Figuring that she may be trying too hard, she abandoned her effort and went back to enjoying the scenery. She sat there for an undetermined amount of time and ended up falling asleep both from peace and the annoying aching of her head; she would go to sleep just about any place that made her feel safe. By the time she awoke again, it was late afternoon and her weird headache was gone. She sat up and stretched, releasing a big yawn in the process.

: Ryoko: the graduate called mentally.

: Yeah?: the child answered back a bit groggily.

: Can you come back to the lab? I've found something: she informed her daughter.

"Alright," the golden eyed woman answered aloud. She quickly teleported herself back to the house Washu lived in; she didn't want to teleport directly into the lab because she was unsure if there was a defense system surrounding it. It was better to be cautious than careless.

The older woman looked up from her work when she heard the door to the lab open. She stopped her work and turned to face the smaller female. "That was fast," she remarked.

"Uh-huh...so, what did you find?" the demon caller inquired with underlying anxiousness. What had the genius discovered?

Washu snapped her fingers and instantly a holographic model of the brain appeared. A cushion appeared behind Ryoko signaling that she would need to take a seat for this; the cyan haired warrior took a seat immediately.

"This is your brain Ryoko," the taller redhead pointed out. "I've analyzed it and according to what I found I labeled each section a certain color," she explained as simply as she possibly could. If she explained the situation at her normal pace her daughter wouldn't understand and would quickly become frustrated.

The tailed woman stared intently at her mother and the holographic image. The younger teen nodded showing that so far she understood what was being said. The nod was also a sign for Washu to continue.

"This large area right here is called your Cerebrum, or the "big part of your brain"," the jade eyed graduate said as she pointed to the area in question. "It's broken into four parts. This part right here, colored blue, is called the Frontal Lobe. It's responsible for reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving." she explained. "Got it?"

"Blue area is the front part of my head and does 6 things, got it!"

"Okay, the next area, colored pink, is called the Parietal Lobe it's also responsible for movement but also orientation, recognition, and perception of stimuli as well. Then this area, black, is called the Occipital Lobe dealing with visual processing. And the last area, yellow, is called the Temporal Lobe which deals with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech," the crab haired woman informed her child.

"So, my brain is broken into four parts I get that but what does that have to do with my memories?" Ryoko asked in a confused tone.

"When Kagato blocked you memories he damaged these parts of your brain and each color represents the severity of his actions. The area most affected by him is your Temporal Lobe because it deals with your memories. The least affected area is your Occipital Lobe."

"Okay, so how do we fix this?"

A sad sigh escaped Washu's lips. "This damage can't simply be fixed by science or surgery. The defense systems he's placed in certain areas of your mind are close to being unbreakable," she countered. She saw the saddened look cross her daughter's features but she continued. "But...there is a way we can attempt to beat this," she added.

"Really?! How?!"

"We can try unlocking a memory of yours in a section of your brain that isn't as heavily guarded as other areas. I believe if we can get one memory active then maybe we have a shot of taking down the other barriers, over time of course, as well," the emerald eyed "doctor" proposed as she laid out her plan.

"Are we going to try now?" the sitting female asked.

The "presenter" shook her head no; with a wave of her hand she dismissed the holographic image from sight. "No, that's enough for today. Why don't we go back to the house?" she suggested. "I'm sure the others are wondering where we are."

"Yeah....you're probably right," she conceded. The older woman opened a sub-portal, taking them directly into the Masaki household, so that they could spend the day with their family.

The pair arrived home just in time for lunch. After lunch was over everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon. Tenchi did let Sasami know, as he helped carry the dishes into the kitchen, that he and Ayeka wouldn't be home for dinner because they were about to leave for Tokyo and wouldn't be back for a while.

(New Day)-------

It was early morning at the Masaki house and everyone in the house was still asleep, even the family's early risers; it was one of the few times that the entire house was completely quiet. Suddenly, a very powerful rumbling shook the house awaking not only its occupants but also people within a 200 mile radius.

"What was that?" Kiyone asked as she and the other housemates gathered in the living area of their home.

Before anyone could answer another powerful blast shook the house; hard to believe it was even more powerful than the first. Just what was the cause of such enormous power surges?

"Is everyone alright?" Tenchi questioned as he held Ayeka up with one arm to keep her from falling. His brown eyes held concern for his friends.

Sasami nodded. "We're fine Tenchi," she assured him. "But what's causing all these power surges?" she asked, slightly worried because she was unsure of what was going on.

"I think it may be coming from Washu's lab," Kiyone informed everyone as she pointed towards the door. There were flashes of light appearing from behind the door.

"Do you think she's conducting an experiment?" Ayeka asked, curiously. It was possible that the scientist was conducting some type of experiment which would explain the powerful surges being felt within the house; it also explained how they could feel such surges and not have the entire house collapsed down upon them.

"Maybe," the black haired male remarked. He wouldn't put it past the genius to be creating a powerful experiment but he was a bit skeptical; something felt...off.

"Or maybe she's running some tests on Ryoko," the blonde said out of the blue, successfully gaining everyone's attention which her comment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw Ryoko go in there early this morning because I was thirsty and came down to get something to drink. Maybe Washu did something to her that she doesn't like and it made her angry," the blue eyed officer reasoned.

Hearing this made Tenchi feel extremely protective of the pirate, knowing how much she hated being hooked up to machines. "Then let's go see," he said as he released his girlfriend and headed for the lab door.

With the others right behind him the teenage male opened the door. The sight that greeted them was both expected and surprising at the same time. What was expected was that there was fighting, what was surprising, was that Washu seemed to be holding her own in the battle against her daughter; they didn't know Washu could fight.

--------

Both the mother and daughter were levitating in the air, each woman holding and energy sword in hand. Ryoko was holding one energy sword, as usual, while the emerald eyed woman was holding two.

The cyan haired woman then charged the graduate. The red haired female held up one of her swords and fired energy blasts from it. The spectators that were watching had never seen anyone, even Ryoko, do a move such as that.

The pirate maneuvered through the barrage of blast, phasing to avoid them and even blocking them with her own sword if necessary. After she dodged the blasts sent her way the tailed warrior went in for a direct hit on her mother; she phased out of sight intending to appear right in the jade eyed genius's face.

However, things didn't go as planned. When the former criminal had re-materialized back in sight Washu was no longer in her original spot; the golden eyed woman scanned the area for her mother but found no trace of the taller woman nor her energy levels. Before the younger warrior could react, she felt the heat of a blade at her neck.

The crab haired female had come up behind the pirate and caught her off guard. The former Academy student took one hand and placed it across Ryoko's midsection, pulling the pirate's smaller frame into her larger one, and placed her other hand before her daughter's neck where she ignited her energy dagger.

The cyan haired fighter gasped as she felt her body pressed against her mother; she didn't know what possessed her to make such a sound, she figured it just came from the fact that the redhead surprised her. Still, the scientist's heavy breathing in her ear and Washu's heated breath on her neck made the pirate want to squirm within the woman's grasp for unknown reasons.

The older woman wanted to make the same sound, actually she wanted to release a possessive growl, but she resisted. She wanted so badly to place her teeth marks on the pirate's neck, showing she was taken; it took everything within the genius to resist the urge. Time seemed to stop for them until an unexpected voice startled them both.

"Washu, stop it!" Tenchi cried as he ran out onto the battle field; he honestly believed that the graduate was going to harm her only daughter. Had he been paying attention he would have questioned why the lab was looking more like a training ground and less like a lab.

Both fighters simply looked down at him. Washu spoke first. "Okay Ryoko that's enough," she commented, breathing heavily into her child's ear as she spoke while making her energy dagger disappear.

The younger female nodded, trying to fight off the shivers that crept up her spine from her mother's voice in her ear, and vanquished her own sword as well. They both teleported to where the others were on the ground.

"Ryoko, why were you two fighting?" Sasami asked as she ran up to her friend, worry and concern visible in her pink eyes.

"We weren't fighting," the pirate answered simply, patting the young child on the head to assure her.

"We were having a sparring match," the scientist clarified, glaring at the black haired male; she was offended that he would think she would ever harm her beloved daughter.

"Oh," he responded, looking away. He now felt embarrassed for thinking such a thing.

The crab haired fighter then turned her attention to her offspring. "You've really gotten rusty," she remarked, referring to her child's fighting style. "Especially you're fighting technique."

"Say what?!" the child demanded to know, completely offended by her mother's words.

"Well for starters, you use to fight with two swords and had begun learning to fight with a third in the process," the older woman countered.

"Wow, that sounds amazing Ryoko," Mihoshi said in a joyful tone, drawing attention back to the other family members.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here anyway?" the ex-pirate asked curiously.

"The house started shaking from power surges and we traced them to Little Washu's lab," Kiyone explained as to why they were all in the lab. "By the way...where is your lab Little Washu?"

The genius snapped her fingers and the area surrounding them was replaced by the lab everyone had become accustomed to seeing. "Better?" she question, it was a rhetorical question though.

"Okay everyone back to bed," the blue haired Galaxy Police officer said as she began shooing her friends out of the lab. No one protested as exited the lab willingly; it was after all 4 in the morning.

"Oh, Little Washu," Tenchi began as he turned to face the adult form of the scientist. "I'm sorry about earlier. I should have known better than to think you would ever hurt your daughter," he apologized.

"Yes, you should," she countered. "But I accept your apology." she added. He smiled before exiting the lab and closing the door behind him.

The emerald eyed fighter released a deep sigh; if she was going to start training her daughter again, if the pirate accepted her offer, she would have to fix up their old training grounds before they had another match again. Washu didn't want to wake the others any time she and Ryoko fought, especially during the wee hours of the morning.

"Little Ryoko isn't the only one who's rusty," she remarked as she stretched, popping her back in the process; Ryoko had already made her way back to the house as the others were exiting the lab. She then opened up a sub-portal to her home to get some well needed rest of her own.

---------

"So…tell me again why we're doing this?" the pirate asked as images flashed across a screen. She was hooked up to another machine of Washu's. Ryoko wasn't really sure what the device was for except that it had something to do with herself and her feelings.

"We're doing this to see if any of these images from your childhood strike a strong feeling within you. If so, then maybe we can push deeper and hopefully breakdown a barrier and regain a memory of yours," the taller woman explained as she type on her laptop. She was looking at the information that was displayed on her screen each time Ryoko saw something.

"What if this method doesn't work?" the cyan haired demon caller questioned, as she watched some toys appear on screen.

"We'll cross that bridge_ if_ we get to it."

The pair settled into a comfortable silence together. They were about 30 minutes into the experiment before something flashed across the large screen that brought forth a strong emotion from the golden eyed female. The images on screen were a saxophone and a trumpet.

The crab haired graduate quickly typed away on her holographic laptop trying to locate the section of her daughter's brain that the feeling was associated with; the emotion was stemming from the Frontal Lobe section of the tailed female's brain.

"That's it Ryoko, try and focus more on your feelings for these instruments," the mother motivated, hands flying over the keys of her computer.

The golden cat-like eyed warrior nodded. She stared intently at the two instruments, they felt so familiar to her somehow; she didn't even register the fact that she had never played a musical instrument in her life. All Ryoko knew was that she felt an over whelming sense of joy when she looked at the two instruments. The more she thought about that feeling, and slowly others, the more she began to feel a pain tugging in her head, yet that did not deter her from feeling what she felt for the instruments.

The graduate noticed how small jolts of pain shot through her child's brain and increased exponentially as the girl's prodding led toward the Temporal Lobe; no doubt the jolts of pain were put in place to discourage Ryoko from unlocking her memories. Ryoko was definitely determined because she kept pushing despite the pain.

"I've managed to locate which barrier is blocking this memory," the scientist informed her offspring. "You're doing great Ryoko," she praised the demon summoner.

Suddenly, it felt like something had been knocked loose within the pirate's mind. The smaller woman released the most pain filled cry anyone had ever heard her make. She fell off the floating cushion provided by Washu successfully disconnecting the devices hooked up to her, and clutched her head tightly.

The former Academy student leapt from her seat to help her daughter; she called the pirate's name but she got no response from the woman. The ex-criminal was oblivious to everything around her. Ryoko's mind was only registering one thing: her newly awakened memory.

_-------_

_A young Ryoko sat in her bed with her knees curled up to her chest, resting her head on them. Just from the fact that the little child wasn't running around the house was enough to tell that something was wrong; plus, the sad sigh escaping her also helped confirm that fact._

_Ryo-Ohki sat next to her "sister", purring and nuzzling into the girl's side trying to cheer her friend up. Her effort earned her a gentle pat on the head before the cyan haired girl began slowly stroke her soft fur. The attention caused Ryo-Ohki to purr again in contentment._

_The door to the six-year-olds room slowly opened and in walked her mother. The Science Academy Director/Professor walked in and sat down on the edge of the smaller girl's bed; Ryoko didn't even bother to look up at the woman, she knew what was coming…this was a dance they had done before._

"_So, tell me what happened?" Washu gently prodded her daughter._

"_Today was talent day, everyone got to show off a talent of theirs," the tailed child began to explain in a low tone. "Everyone had really good talents and people clapped because they were so good. When it was my turn to go up I thought they would clap too because I can fly a bit…but they didn't. Instead, they just laughed at me…and called me names."_

"_Little Ryoko…" Washu began but she was cut off._

_The child interrupted her. "It wasn't my fault. They started it," she defended herself. She was always being picked on for what she was and she was always getting in trouble for her actions._

_The mother sighed. "I know that little one but you still upset a lot of parents with what you did," she informed the 1__st__ grader. Her phone had been ringing a majority of the day about parents calling to complain about what her daughter had done to their children. To put it bluntly, her little one had tied a group of children to the flag pole and left them out there._

_The golden eyed child scoffed, turning her head away from her mother. The crab haired graduate simply looked at her daughter with a sad expression, she wished that her young one wouldn't let what the other children, and sometimes their parents, get to her. If only people could see her child the way she did then she knew they would treat the young girl better._

"_Your powers aren't your only talents you know," the jade eyed female pointed out after a moment of silence. She could sense the child's curiosity across their link and continued. "You have other talents."_

_The 1__st__ grader now turned to face her mother. "Like what, mommy?" she asked. Besides flying she didn't think she had any other talents._

"_Like your love of music of course," the taller woman answered. She opened a sub-portal and pulled out two black cases, cases that Ryoko instantly recognized. "I talked to your music teacher. It explains why you can never be home on time after school," she teased her offspring._

_The small child simply blushed. "Are you mad?" she questioned while raising her head to look at the crab haired scientist._

"_Of course not! Why would I be?"_

"_Because I don't like science like you do and science always makes you happy," Ryoko answered honestly. She thought her mother would be ashamed of her because she didn't love science._

_Washu placed a hand atop her daughter's cyan mane. "Ryoko, I don't want you to follow in my footsteps just to make me proud. I'm proud when you do what makes you happy and if that's music that's completely fine by me. I don't care what you want to do Ryoko, as long as you're happy with it, I'll support you every step of the way," she informed her daughter in a soft tone that was completely serious. "Remember little one that your powers aren't the only talents you have and what your music teacher told and showed me proves that. I'm giving you this saxophone and trumpet so that whenever you think you don't have any special talents you can just think of these instruments and me backing you 100 percent." She added, placing a kiss on the child's forehead._

_Ryoko simply lunged into her mother's arms, glad to know that she hadn't disappointed the taller woman. "I promise mommy…I won't forget about my other talents or you," she promised into her mother's shoulder._

_The Director smiled from her child's words. She knew that this step helped to boost her child's confidence in herself tremendously; Washu knew what was said about her child and how all of those hurtful comments affected her daughter, she hoped one day Ryoko would learn to brush off such snide remarks._

"_Hey, mommy, wanna hear me play?" the young Ryoko inquired excitedly, eyes shining with joy._

_The redhead nodded. "Why, I would be honored if you graced me with a performance," she answered as she released her child and watched as the girl got out the saxophone. _

_-------_

Ryoko opened her eyes to find herself lying on the lab floor. She slowly lifted herself from the ground and got into a sitting position. She shook her head to get it back into focus. "W-Washu?" she called looking for the genius.

"Ryoko! You're finally awake! I was so worried—" the scientist began babbling, she had been sitting behind the fallen pirate for 45 minutes now.

"I remember why you got me those instruments," the shorter woman informed the emerald eyed female successfully halting the babbling. "You wanted me to know that I have other talents that make me stand out besides my powers, and just because what I liked wasn't science, didn't mean you weren't going to support me," she said in awe, shocked at such a memory.

"Ryoko you…"

"I remember Mommy, I actually remember something," the golden eyed girl responded with a giant grin. She then lunged at the older woman, embracing her in a tight, joyful, hug. "I did it!" she exclaimed.

The redhead couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks nor was she going to stop them. Ryoko had done it; she had broken down one of Kagato's barriers and had seen a piece of her childhood; that fact alone was enough to touch Washu's heart and Ryoko unlocking that memory touched her even more.

"Yes, little one…you did," the mother answered in a weak voice because she was just so happy. "Yes, you did," she repeated as she stroked the pirate's hair reveling in the girl's happiness.

-----------

Next time: Well, it seems that things are going great for Ryoko and Washu. Unfortunately, you can only have so many good days before something goes wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n:** _Sorry for the delay in updating^^;...thanks to everyone who's still reviewing (you guys motviate me^_^!) Enjoy!!_

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Chapter 6: Good Day, Bad Ending

Washu and Ryoko continued to embrace each other until the younger female ended up falling asleep; that was the second time the pirate had done so. The jade eyed woman figured something like this would happen as a side effect of destroying a barrier.

Breaking a barrier, or at least the first one, meant that the tailed woman would become extremely tired and fall into a deep slumber. It was a defense mechanism more than likely to weaken Ryoko if she ever did remember something from her past and keep her that way long enough for Kagato to get control of her again.

"I'm so proud of you," the scientist whispered into her slumbering child's ear. She lifted the former criminal into her arms once again and took the pirate to her room so that she could properly rest.

As Ryoko slept Washu would look over the data gathered by her machine. She would examine the collected data and see if she could come up with methods to get past the other barriers without the golden eyed woman being in pain; the graduate assumed that depending on the memory determined the level of pain the ex-pirate experienced but that was just a theory.

As Washu assessed the information she noticed how there had been something of a power surge within the pirate's brain; the surge was probably strong enough to be felt within the house and possibly knock out all of the power within Japan. She made a mental note to go and see about that later. So, for the next few hours the mother typed away on her computer conducting her research.

(Later)------

Washu emerged from the lab during the family's usual lunch hour; everyone was already sitting down eating by the time she arrived. She wasn't bothered by that fact and just took her usual seat.

"Good afternoon Little Washu," the family greeted her as she took her seat.

"Hi-ya," the redhead answered with a smile as she dug into her food.

Mihoshi looked around the table and noticed they were still missing someone. "Hey, where's Ryoko," she inquired, chopsticks still in her mouth. It just didn't feel right without Ryoko.

"She's asleep in her room," the genius replied with a mouth full of food. She was just in such a joyous mood over earlier events that she didn't really notice what had just exited her mouth.

"But, she doesn't have a room in the house," the purple haired princess pointed out. "She normally just sleeps up in the rafters."

"True she doesn't and she does. I meant at my house, well technically it's her house too..." the jade eyed woman trailed off, not wanting to be technical about things. She still did not realize her words.

"You have a house Little Washu?" Tenchi commented, quite surprised to learn about such information just as the others where. They just never really thought about the fact that the graduate might have a home of her home; they pretty much figured she lived within her lab.

"Of course I do," she remarked and then suddenly her words hit her full force. She had just exposed her secret to them. True, it wasn't as if she had just up and shown them her house but from the way she was speaking she may as well have.

"What does it look like Little Washu?" Sasami asked curiously.

"Oh, can we see it?" the blonde questioned excitedly.

Before the scientist could be asked more questions the door to her lab opened and from it emerged Ryoko. She rubbed one of her eyes, trying to get the sleep from it, and walked over to her usual seat at the table.

"Ya know Mommy, you could have woken me up for lunch too," she stated, talking to her mother. Yes, she was now able to call the woman "Mommy", or other forms of the word, now that she remember something of their past together; it felt so natural to say it now.

The others at the table were shocked. The cyan haired female had called the crab haired woman "Mommy". What was even more shocking was that the word was actually genuine, not sarcastic in the slightest.

Tenchi was the first to speak up. "Uh...Little Washu was just telling us about your home Ryoko," he began. "Why didn't you tell us about it?" he asked.

Ryoko tensed. : Mommy...you told them?!: she demanded to know through their link. She didn't want them to know, at least...not right now.

: No, I didn't tell them anything thing. I accidently mentioned your room because they were wondering where you were and I was still excited from earlier. They still don't know that you've regained a piece of your memory: the mother explained, knowing just how sensitive the pirate was about that information. It was not Washu's right to tell them about what had happened to Ryoko...that was up to the demon caller. : It's your right to tell them if you wish it, not mine:

: Oh...but now they'll want to see it: the child pointed out, knowing that her friends were now curious about their home.

: Then give them your answer Ryoko. If you want them to see our home I won't object to it, though some places will be off limits to them: the redhead informed her daughter, proving just how much say her child had in the matter because the house belonged to both of them after all. : And, if you tell them about your memory, you know they'll be happy for you. It's not like they don't care for you:

"Ryoko?" the teenage male called his friend gently, noticing the far off look in her eyes.

"H-huh?" the golden catlike eyed woman finally responded.

"About your house...why didn't you tell us you had a home?" he repeated his earlier question. It slipped his mind that she might not remember she had a home.

The former criminal released a deep sigh. "Because...for a long time, I didn't know I had a home either until recently...I never knew I had a home," she informed her friends as they listened intently to her words. "I had no memories of the place."

Ryo-Ohki cried softly and jumped from Sasami's head. The little cabbit then made her way over to her sister and crawled onto the pirate's shoulder; Ryo-Ohki then began to gently nuzzle her sister to try and bring her comfort.

"Thanks Ryo-Ohki but I'm fine...really," the cyan haired female gently spoke to her long time friend. She wasn't ready to bring up the fact that she had just gotten back a memory…she felt it was too soon for that.

"May we see your house?" Ayeka questioned in a soft tone. She could tell that her friend felt a variety of emotions when speaking of the house and she wanted to see it.

"No...At least, not yet," she told the other housemates. Her answer seemed to shock them so she went deeper into her explanation. "Its' not that I don't want you all to see our home, it's just that...well..." she began to falter, having trouble expressing herself when it came to tender emotions.

Luckily, Yosho spoke up. "That's fine Ryoko, you can show us your home when you're ready," he said as he sipped his tea.

The tailed warrior nodded, grateful that he had stepped in when he did. The remainder of lunch was spent with the housemates wondering how Ryoko's home looked; everyone was so curious. After lunch, everyone went their spate ways.

"Ryoko," the genius called, gaining her daughter's attention. "If you get a chance, come to my lab later. There's something I want to tell you," she said. When she received a nod from the pirate the scientist entered her lab and closed the door behind her.

Ayeka then turned her attention towards Tenchi. "I think I'll go and chat with Ryu-Oh," she informed her lover before getting up from the table and exiting the room.

The cyan haired warrior stood up from the table not long after the first princess had left. "Well, I think I'll go for a walk," she commented to no one in particular, even though Tenchi and his grandfather were sitting at the table.

"Ryoko," the blacked haired man began. He was preparing to ask her about her home again, hoping he could get her to say yes.

Yosho cut him off. "Enjoy your walk," he said as the former criminal exited the house with Ryo-Ohki perched atop her shoulder. "Tenchi," he remarked, turning his attention to his grandson.

"Yes, grandpa?"

"Ryoko will tell us, and possibly show us, her home when she is ready," the very senior man stated knowing exactly what the boy had been planning on asking.

The young male looked away; why did it seem his grandfather was always a few steps ahead of him? "I just wanted to know…" he tried to explain.

"Understand, Tenchi, that Ryoko is no doubt very sensitive about sharing that part of her world with you…all of you," Yosho pointed out, successfully cutting off the younger male. "Think about it, she said herself that she didn't even know she had a home of her own until recently. I'm sure all of this is overwhelming to her and while everyone's intention might be to try and better understand Ryoko I think it's best if we give her time and let her mother handle the situation."

"But we're her family too," the brown eyed boy argued.

The gray haired man sipped his tea before answering. "Washu is her mother and Ryo-Ohki is her sister, they are her true family. We are simply considered family…being and considered are two different things. There are numerous rights that her family have that we do not," he countered. "Besides, Washu and Ryoko have grown quite close over the past few weeks which is good, because now I'm sure they need each other more than ever."

Tenchi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, interested in his grandfather's words.

Instead of answering, Yosho just stood up from the table and headed toward the door. He stopped and looked back at the younger male. "Remember Tenchi, patience is a virtue," he commented. "She'll let us in when she's ready." He added before leaving.

After that "little" conversation with his sensei was over, which he noticed was a bit weird, Tenchi decided to go to his room and try and get some homework done; he had missed a shitload of school and was way behind in his studies. He needed to do every assignment and pass every exam if he was going to have a prayer at graduating.

(New Day)-------

It had been a few weeks since Ryoko had unlocked her first memory, and within that time it certainly wasn't her last. The demon summoner had broken several barriers during that time and had unlocked close to a dozen memories; every time one of the house mates saw the tailed warrior she was always in a good mood, even if her memory wasn't a good one…she was just glad to remember. Ryoko never did tell them why though.

The memories that were coming back to the pirate weren't the entire memory though, as Washu had told her weeks ago. Ryoko was just unlocking various pieces of her past, not the entire memory; Ryoko would have to find a way remember the entire memory on her own, which she was fine with doing. She didn't want Washu to help on in that area because she felt the genius had already helped her more than enough already.

The golden eyed warrior was actually glad that she was just unlocking her memories in pieces as opposed to the entire thing at once. She didn't want to be overloaded with every memory she ever had; receiving them in bits and pieces gave her the opportunity to go over each memory at her own pace and try and learn about it, thus awakening more of the memory in the process.

Yet, Ryoko wasn't the only female in the house who was happy; Ayeka and Sasami were happy as well: their parents were coming to visit. Both the sisters were happy because they didn't get a chance to see their family often because they were so far from Earth and because their parents were always busy. Over the years the two Queens had decided that they should visit their daughters more often so they had planned to come and visit the girls 3 times out of the year…no exceptions.

"I can't wait till Mother, Father and Auntie Funaho arrive," the blue haired princess commented as she hung the clothes outside on the line.

Ayeka did the same. "I know what you mean," she replied. She had some big news that she wanted to tell them; she just knew they would be thrilled with the news.

The two sisters continued hanging laundry; the entire household was helping to prepare the house for the arrival of company that was due in the next few hours.

"Hey, Ryoko you done with your chores?" Washu asked as she emerged from the kitchen, munching on a cookie.

"Hey, give me a piece?" the child asked, referring to the cookie her mother was chewing on.

Washu held the cookie between her teeth. : If you want a piece then come get it: she told her daughter mentally. It almost sounded as if she was taunting her child.

Ryoko appeared before her and and bit into the other end of the cookie; her lips accidentally brushed against the scientist's lips in the process. The contact sent a shock through the pirate's system.

"So, are you done with your chores or not?" Washu repeated her earlier question, finishing off her piece of the cookie.

The demoness finished her cookie as well before she brushed her bangs out of her face. "Yeah, I just finished," she answered. That was another thing that had changed about the fighter, she had no longer avoid doing her share of chores...much of the time. "Why?"

"I was wondering because I wanted to see if you wanted to head out early today. I've got nothing important to do and you're done with your chores," the jade eyed mother commented.

Ryoko thought about it. True she was done with her chores and there was really nothing better to do at the house, so leaving early wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, we can leave early. I need to take a bath before we leave though," she pointed out, not wanting to go out sweaty.

The red haired female nodded; Ryoko took that as her cue to teleport to the Onsen. Washu took a seat on the couch waiting on her daughter so they could leave; the genius would like to be gone when the royal family arrived.

She didn't have anything against the family as a whole, just the king. Washu disliked the man because he simply viewed Ryoko as a weapon and wanted the girl cloned in order to be used as a defense system for Jurai. The king completely ignored the fact that Ryoko was her daughter.

Before Washu could dive deeper into her thoughts, her golden eyed daughter appeared. "Okay, I'm ready," Ryoko said, as her hair dripped water slightly.

"Alright," the scientist remarked as she took from her seat. She went through the familiar routine of opening up a sub-portal for them so they could reach their destination.

-------

Tenchi sighed as he walked home from school; normally he would have taken the bus but today he felt like walking. He wasn't looking forward to going home because he knew what would be waiting for him there: the royal family.

It wasn't as if he had anything against the family, it's just that Ayeka's father made him nervous. The king was always looking down on him and treating him badly ever since they had met; the purple haired man's resentment grew even more when he learned that his eldest daughter, Ayeka, was in love with him. Azusa honestly felt Tenchi was beneath the princess.

"This is going to be a long weekend," he remarked to himself as his home came into view. But despite his nervousness he was still going to inform the royal family that he was dating Ayeka.

------

Ryoko and Washu were sitting at a bar sipping a couple of drinks. They were making ideal chatter and enjoying themselves. However, their good time was rained upon by a couple of men walking up to them looking for a "good time".

"Hey baby, how's about I show you a good time," a green haired teen commented, smiling lecherously Ryoko. He placed his hand on her lower back causing her to jump and her body to tense, he ignored her reaction but Washu thought it was curious.

His friend, with red haired, turned his attention to Washu. "It looks like you could use a good time too," he said, eying the mother up and down.

Both of the women rolled their eyes at their pick up lines; each for her own reasons. They had noticed the group of men staring at them when they entered the bar. Apparently, these two thought they were the best at picking up women because they had been sent out by their friends.

"Sorry, we're not interested in boys who still have the lingering smell of breast milk on their tongues," the demoness responded, a bit hostile; it came from the fact that the first male's hand was still on her body and it greatly bothered her. These boys were probably babies compared to her.

"Your loss babe," he countered, simply shrugging her off before turning his attention to Washu. "Hey, how's about you? Anything we can do for you?" he asked, brimming with confidence.

"Sorry, but unless you both lose the dick, there's absolutely nothing you can do for me," the jade eyed female countered completely serious; Ryoko arched an eyebrow from the words but kept any questions she had to herself. She formed an energy dagger in her hand. "So, you game?"

The color from both the men's faces drained. They fled from the table as if Death itself was sitting at the table; it was a pretty safe bet that they weren't going to be bothered again. The commotion had caused a scene but the scientist looking at everyone quickly caused everyone to go back to their own affairs.

"Hey, Ryoko, why did you tense up when he touched you?" the taller woman inquired. Her daughter had never tensed before when a man touched her, so why now?

A look of pure sadness instantly settled on the former pirates face. She cast her gaze downward and unknowingly strengthened her hold on her drink. "No reason…really," she tried to down play her earlier action. It was an automatic defense system that she had developed over time to protect herself, though it caused more harm than good a majority of the time.

"Sweetie, I told you that you that I don't like to see you in pain. You don't have to hold anything inside," the genius commented in a soft tone.

The tailed female opened her mouth to speak but closed it again because words wouldn't exit her mouth. It took a while, the lime eyed graduate was patient, but eventually Ryoko was able to speak. "Kagato," she cryptically answered in a quiet voice.

"You mean he…?"

Ryoko shook her head no, quelling her mother's fear. "Not physically…mentally, he would show me the images in my mind. It was a mind rape," she said with a little more detail; the images had felt so real. "Can we stop talking about this?" she pleaded, feeling extremely uncomfortable voicing the subject.

Washu nodded. She was relieved that her daughter had not been physically raped, but enraged that the now dead man would do such a thing.

"Say, how's about we go someplace else?" Ryoko suggested, growing uncomfortable with the hushed whispers circulating around the room.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Doesn't matter, it's your turn to pick where we're going anyway. Remember?"

The genius conceded that point. "Alright," she said as they got up and exited the building. She thought about where she and her daughter could go because it was still early back on Earth. When she heard music playing she knew exactly where she would take the pirate; it might awaken more of her memories and help Ryoko forget about the unpleasantness of the conversation they just had.

-------

"What is this place?" Ryoko asked, as she felt vibrations coursing through her entire body.

The former Academy student just shrugged. "I don't know...you tell me," she countered. Her daughter had said that she had wanted to awaken memories on her own.

Golden eyes closed as she racked her brain for something familiar about the place. She stayed like that for a few minutes before she jumped; Washu assumed that the girl had remembered something because the smile on her face was a dead giveaway.

"I remember now! This is the dance club we use to go to," she informed her mother, grinning from the memory of herself dancing and having fun. "That's where all the noise and vibrations are coming from."

The adult Washu nodded in response. "That's right, a techno club to be more precise," she confirmed. "The dance club is underground while the bar/restaurant is above it," she added in.

"Cool!" the cyan haired fighter exclaimed joyously. She then made a bee-line to the entrance so she could go dance; she had always had a weakness for techno because of the various beats combined to create music.

Washu just smiled before going in behind her child. She did hope that Ryoko let her little comment at the bar go because she didn't know how the girl would act; from what Washu could tell Ryoko was straight, or she believed that to be her sexual preference, and probably frowned on same sex relations even though it was quite the norm in their species.

"Guess only time will tell," she uttered as she decided to let her thoughts on the matter go and just enjoy herself.

She entered the building and was immediately greeted by the sound of blaring music. Multi-colored lights flashed in every direction and people were covered in glow sticks, glitter, and other things; the place was packed, which was the norm. It took less than a minute for the scientist to lose herself to the music.

After an hour of dancing, either by herself of with someone, Washu wondered where her daughter was. She scanned the room with her eyed and located her daughter leaning against a beam off to the side; she pushed through people to reach the warrior. "Why aren't you dancing?" she inquired loudly.

Ryoko took in her mother's appearance. The older woman was covered in glowing glitter. She had glow sticks on her neck and clipped onto pieces of her hair, which was now hanging freely over her shoulders. She also noticed the thin layer of sweat and mist that coated the graduate's body.

_She looks so damn…sexy,_ Ryoko thought, wanting to lick her lips from the sight alone. The shorter woman suddenly realized her thoughts and quickly shook her head to dispel them. Why would she even think that about her mother? "Because I don't know how to dance," she yelled over the people and the music.

"I'll teach you," Washu offered. She grabbed Ryoko's hand and pulled the ex-criminal into the crowd before the younger woman had a chance to answer.

They ended up close to the middle of the floor. Washu began dancing, slowly so Ryoko could see what she was doing. The red haired woman started by moving her hips slowly, matching one beat of the song. From there the rest of her body followed.

She then moved up behind Ryoko and whispered in her ear. "See, it's easy," the crab haired genius commented. "Just listen to the music and let yourself go." She said, as she continued swaying to the beat.

The cyan haired fighter took the taller woman's advice. She listened to the music and tried to locate a beat. Slowly, she began to move, it was a bit awkward at first. The longer she listened to the music the more she got into it and was able to dance more comfortably until she had her timing down; she was letting herself go.

Soon, Ryoko was dancing just like Washu, even throwing in moves that the scientist herself wasn't doing. Not only that, but in her mind she was slowly grasping at a memory of herself dancing at the club all those years ago; it put a smile on Ryoko's face and caused her to get into the club atmosphere even more.

"You're doing great Ryoko," Washu stated as she watched the pirate go from awkward to confident within half-an-hour.

"Thanks," she answered. "You're not doing to bad yourself Washu. I didn't know you could dance," she added.

"Where do you think you get your dancing skills from?" she countered, with a confident, teasing, smirk.

The pair danced for a long time; Ryoko was now covered in glow sticks and glitter just like the redhead. As they danced Ryoko just couldn't keep her eyes off the crab haired woman's body. She tried to keep from looking but she just couldn't keep her eyes from wandering; she was looking at the genius like she used to do with Tenchi. Ryoko felt something pulling within her but she wasn't sure what it was or where it came from.

Washu was doing the same thing. Emerald eyes looked longingly and hungrily at the pirate; she wanted to remove every stitch of clothing on her daughter while kissing each area she had visited. _Get a hold of yourself!_ She screamed mentally but that did nothing to stop her desire from growing.

More people moved into the club causing them to be closer to each other than before. Their eyes locked and for them everything seemed to stop; they were so close to one another that they could feel the others breath on their face. Neither of them noticed how close they were to each other because they were lost in each other's eyes.

Suddenly, without warning they closed the distance between them; their lips met in a passionate kiss and their minds completely clouded over. Washu's tongue dived into Ryoko's sweat mouth. The pink organ explored every area of the pirate's mouth, trailing over her elongated canines and caressing Ryoko's own little pink organ. The taller woman wrapped her arms around her daughter's waist, pulling the girl against her body and deepening the kiss.

Ryoko simply moaned from the attention she was getting; she had never been kissed, at least she didn't remember, but she was pretty sure this was the best kiss she ever had in her entire life. She tried to imitate the genius, attempting to do to Washu what Washu was doing to her. The cyan haired woman's actions were clumsy because she had no sexual experience.

After a full two minutes the pair pulled away for air, even though they did not have to breathe; their faces were flushed while they panted heavily, staring at each other with lust clouded eyes. Now that the kiss had ended their minds had started to return to them; their reactions where the same but their reasons behind them were different.

"W-Washu…I…I," the tailed woman stammered. Ryoko looked absolutely terrified by what she had just done. _H-How could I do something like this?! She's my mother for crying out loud!_ She yelled in her head. She had just committed the ultimate sin, the greatest taboo…and, a part of herself, had enjoyed it.

"R-Ryoko let me explain," Washu pleaded, as she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. How could she have taken advantage of Ryoko like that, especially when the girl had no memories of their past together. She had practically forced herself on her daughter. _Fuck!_

The cyan haired warrior shook her head no and headed for the entrance to the club. All she wanted to do right now was go back home and get herself together._ That kiss shouldn't have happened, it shouldn't have felt good…but it did even though she's another woman,_ she thought to herself, being extremely cautious with her thoughts making sure they weren't sent across the link.

"What have I done," Washu murmured to herself as she watched Ryoko push her way out of the club. She felt that she had just ruined her new, budding, relationship with the one person that mattered most.

-----------

Next time: After helping Tenchi with his own problems, Ryoko comes to s sudden realization. What did Ryoko help him with?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: **_Whoa! Two cahpters in one day?! ....I figure I owed you guys something after making you wait so long^^; Enjoy!_

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Chapter 7: Realization and Proposals

The two catlike eyed women arrived back home an hour after the incident occurred; they would have been back sooner but one of them had disappeared, leaving the other to wait until they reappeared. After the smaller female came back she informed the taller woman that she would like to leave, if Washu wasn't doing anything. All while she spoke she refused to lock eyes with the other woman.

Washu complied to the request, although from the tone in Ryoko's voice, it was more of a plea than anything else. So, now here they were in the living area of the Masaki household; the sun had not yet begun to peak over the horizon. An uneasy silence hung in the air between them causing a tension to form between them; their eyes looked everywhere else in the room besides where they wanted them to: at each other.

Both wanted to say something to the other, yet, each faced the dilemma of what to say; honestly, what could be said after what transpired between them in the dance club. They simply stood there for what felt like hours, like two shy teens each wanting to ask the other to the school dance but too afraid to speak to each other, trying to force out a conversation that just refused to happen.

Eventually, one of them was finally able to find their voice. "I-I'll be in the lab," Washu uttered in a low, quite tone; her eyes were gazing upon her lab door. "Have someone come get me when breakfast is ready," she added in the form of a request. It was a relief that words finally passed between them even if those words weren't the ones that wanted to be said or heard.

Ryoko nodded; golden eyes concentrated on the rafters above them. "Alright," she began, in something of a neutral tone. "I will," she confirmed.

After those words had been spoken, the cinnamon haired genius slowly walked to the confines of her lab. She truly didn't want to distance herself from her daughter, especially at this crucial point in their relationship, but she knew it was in both their best interest for them if she did; Ryoko had to want to pursue the matter on her own, if she pushed it would only drive her child away.

Once the door had closed behind the olive-eyed scientist, she pressed her back against it. She slid down the orange door and sat on the floor. Moving her hands through her large mane, she looked upward as tears silently trailed down her mature face; the last time she had shed tears was when her cherished daughter was taken from her.

On the opposite side of the lab door, the pirate made her way up into the rafters after hearing the door close; she hadn't slept up there since the night Washu had bought her that IPod. The cyan haired female had a feeling she'd be returning to these rafters at night. As catlike eyes starred up at the ceiling, droplets of water began forming in her eyes and she did not wipe them away as they slid down her cheeks. Both mother and daughter ended up crying themselves to sleep.

(New Day)-----

It had been three days since the "incident" at the club. Since that time both females involved had distanced themselves from each other; one out of guilt, the other out of fear. The family members really hadn't noticed the change because they were too busy entertaining company to bring attention to the matter, which was probably for the best.

The guilty one sat atop the roof. Slowly, she sipped her sake, too lost in her thoughts to chug down bottle after bottle. Spliced eyes looked ahead but they were not seeing the scenery before them, instead, they were envisioning the landscape around their home; the two scenes looked the same but were completely different as well.

She knew why she was occupying her mind with the landscape, or anything really, it was to keep her from thinking about the events of three nights ago; she hadn't seen or talked to the flame haired woman since then. And in truth, how could she?

Not only had she kissed another woman, she had also kissed her mother; it was not a way that a child was supposed to kiss a relative, let alone their own parent. Still, she had done and enjoyed it. When she had locked lips with the witty woman it had felt angelic and that feeling had evoked fear within her after they broke apart, causing her to run. Now that she had stopped running and looked back, she was left with an overwhelming sense of confusion.

She sighed. "The story of my life I suppose," she revealed. "But, how can I solve my problems when I don't even know who I am?" she asked the air. Having her memories back was great, but she still didn't have all of them nor did she know who she was; it was as if there was something still missing.

Ryoko turned her attention back toward the lake; there were fireflies dancing above the water in the moonlight. It was a very beautiful and calming sight. As the soothing wind blew through her hair she wondered just what she was going to do, better yet, how was she going to do anything when she didn't even know why to take certain actions. She sighed as she allowed her mind to trail off once more.

---------

Tenchi was lying in his bed, starring out at the moon. He unconsciously twirled something around in his hand as his chocolate orbs focused on the crescent moon. Ayeka was back to sleeping in her old room because her family was there and she didn't want to cause problems or have questions arise before she informed her family of their relation.

He understood her logic; her father could be a real bastard and if the man walked in and saw his eldest daughter in bed with Tenchi…it wouldn't be pretty to say the least. The king would probably force both his daughters to return home to Jurai, even though the man knew how much the two girls loved their life on Earth.

Still, despite how worried about Azusa Tenchi was, the older man was not the reason for the adolescent not being able to sleep; what was occupying Tenchi's mind now was a million times bigger than his girlfriend's father.

"What if I'm moving too fast?" the ink haired male wondered to the darkness. "I mean I know we've been together for three years and everything, and it was bound to happen, but what if neither of us is ready?" he asked himself, in an unsure tone.

This was a very important question he wanted to ask to his lover; hell, the question was life changing and he would like to receive her family's blessing before asking. He nervously nibbled on his bottom lip.

_Maybe I should take a walk, to clear my head and get my thoughts together,_ he mentally suggested; he decided to do just that.

Tenchi pushed the covers from his body as he rose out of bed. He grabbed a pair of jeans that were on the floor and a t-shirt that was tossed upon his desk and dressed himself. He grabbed his shoes before exiting the room and, making sure to securely hide the item he had been twirling in his hand, did not put them on until he was sitting on the porch; he didn't want to disturb anyone.

He inhaled the air, as if it would somehow energize him, and began walking toward the woods. Suddenly, he stopped when he noticed someone _on_ the lake. There was only one person he knew that had the power to walk on water and not sink.

"Ryoko," the high school senior whispered in a curious tone. "What's she doing out here?" he wondered. The last he saw her she was lying up in the rafters.

As he watched her he noticed a saddened, pained, look upon her features; it showed in the way she wrapped her arms around herself and cast her gaze away from the sky. Tenchi, being the good friend that he is, went over to ask what was troubling her; he didn't like to see any of his friends in pain.

The cyan haired warrior's elongate ears twitched as she heard movement from her right. She quickly tensed and turned her attention in the direction of the sound, ready to strike if necessary. Tenchi froze immediately when her golden orbs were cast upon him; the light from the moon illuminated them, giving her such a dark, unnerving look.

"Oh, Tenchi…it's just you," Ryoko remarked in a borderline neutral tone, as she relaxed herself now appearing completely harmless.

_Boy, she sure is scary with that look in her eyes. Whatever she's thinking about it must be something because that's never happened before,_ the younger man thought. "Sorry if I startled you," he commented loudly, but not too loud to where it would wake the others.

"That's fine," the taller of the two answered, in something of a distracted tone.

Tenchi arched an ebony eyebrow. "Ryoko, are you all right?" he questioned, genuinely concerned about his friend.

She teleported to the shore since he couldn't walk on water like she herself; well, actually, he could, if he'd learn to harness the Jurain powers within him other than during life threatening battles. "So, what brings you out this time of night?" she countered in curiosity, ignoring his question.

The auburn-eyed teen cast his gaze away for a quick moment. He had forgotten all about his problem when he had seen Ryoko looking saddened. "A lot of things are going through my mind right now. I thought that if I took a walk I could sort everything out," he admitted with a look concentration on his face.

"Hmm…must be big if it's got you looking like that," the former class A criminal replied, with a slight smirk on her face as she pointed her index finger at his. Tenchi only looked like that when it was something serious.

The shorter of the two chuckled. "I guess you could say that," he said. "Hey, Ryoko, would you mind walking with me?" he requested.

She gave him a nod and the two started walking. They walked in a comfortable silence together. Ryoko noted that it felt good to just talk a walk with Tenchi without trying to grope him; Tenchi's thoughts were along the same lines.

"Its' been a while since we've hung out together," the humanoid pointed out, as they continued to walk.

Golden eyes looked at him with a questioning gaze. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired, lost by where his comment originated from.

"Well, you've just been spending so much of your time now with Washu that I hardly ever see you around the house anymore," Tenchi said, missing the emotion that flashed across Ryoko's eyes when he mentioned her mother. "Now, you've been hanging around the house a lot lately and I haven't seen you or Washu go anywhere or do anything these last few days. Is something wrong?"

"So, Tenchi…what's on your mind?" the ex-pirate asked after they walked a few minutes in silence, allowing his question to die out. He seemed like he wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him but didn't know how to bring it up. So, she gave him an opening.

The student noticed how the demoness kept avoiding questions by changing the subject. He decided to stop trying to pry into her affairs. It took him a minute to respond. "My relationship with Ayeka," came his answer, as he looked up at the stars.

She actually stopped from hearing those words. "Are you…having doubts or something?" she wondered, her face crunched up in confusion. She thought that he and Ayeka's relationship was going well.

He turned and looked at her. He had to admit Ryoko looked really cute when she puffed out her cheeks and had a look of deep confusion her face. "Not doubts really," he started, casting his head down to look at the ground. "At least, I don't think I am." He said.

"Then what?"

The younger man released a troubled sigh before answering. "You know, I'm not really sure where to begin," he responded with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

The catlike eyed female took a seat on a nearby rock. "Then start anywhere," she told him. She placed one hand under her chin and leaned forward to show that she was interested in what he had to say.

For some reason her reaction surprised him; he didn't think that the pirate would be willing to listen to his problems concerning the violet haired princess. It would seem that once again he misjudged her. Tenchi smiled at the demon caller, finding strength to speak from her simple action.

"Well, earlier today Ayeka and I were sitting in the living room with her family. We had talked about it for a few days and decided that we wanted for them to know about us," the raven-haired teen explained. "…The news wasn't taken quite the way we'd hoped," he added as his mind replayed the events from earlier.

_(Flashback)------_

_"You mean to tell me that you're dating this-this boy?!" King Azusa accused his daughter, face twisted in anger. How could she do something like this?_

_Ayeka nodded. She and Tenchi were sitting together on the couch while the royal family sat on the other. "That's right father," she confirmed verbally. Her heart raced a bit but Tenchi's arm around her shoulders calmed her a bit._

_"Oh! My Little Ayeka that's so wonderful!" Queen Misaki proclaimed, clasping her hands together to show her excitement. She was glad that her daughter had found someone to make her happy. _

_Queen Funaho simply smiled. "Indeed it is wonderful," she agreed with her "sister". She was glad that the time Ayeka had spent on Earth helped her to start making her own decisions and thinking for herself. The eldest princess had really come a long way, from being a spoiled, dependent, unquestioning lady into an independent, thinking woman. _

_"Wonderful?" the king repeated, in quite the baffled tone. He looked at his two wives as if they each had four heads. It was anything but wonderful in his opinion. "Ayeka, stop this nonsense right now!" he demanded, slightly aware that his words would wound his child but uncaring because he knew what he was saying was best for her. _

_The princess clutched Tenchi's hand firmly within hers. "It's not nonsense father," she countered. "I lo--" _

_"No you don't!" the bearded man shouted, not wanting to hear those three words his foolish daughter believed. "I forbid you from seeing him, Ayeka! You hear me?! I forbid it!" he stated, as if his words were the law of the Earth. "He's beneath you!"_

_Ayeka's eyes watered. She was truly hurt by her father's words. Why couldn't he just be happy for her like her aunt and her mother? "Ex-excuse me," her wavering voice dished out; she stood quickly and hurried out the door. She didn't want to look at her father right now. _

_(End Flashback)------_

"You'd think Azusa would be thrilled to know that his oldest daughter has found someone she loves," the teal haired warrior commented after hearing the story. "So, you're bothered that the king doesn't like you?"

The coco eyed adolescent shook his head. "That's not it. I'm just wondering if maybe I'm not enough for Ayeka. I mean the girl's a princess for Kami's sake! What could I possibly have to offer her?!" he yelled, finally releasing the fears plaguing his mind.

The golden eyed demoness was shocked to say the least. He truly did love the ruby eyed princess if he was paining that much over her. "Tenchi," she cooed softly, as she walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I seriously doubt Ayeka cares for you based on what you have to offer her," she pointed out.

"But—" he tried to protest but the taller woman didn't give him a chance.

"Tenchi, I may not know much about relationships, human or otherwise, but I do know what it's like to care for someone unconditionally," she stated, silently referring to when she loved the high school teen. "You don't care what that person has to offer when you care for them, you're happy with them and that's all that matters. If Ayeka cared what you had to offer she wouldn't have fallen for you and she would have stuck with those weirdo suitors her father had picked for her."

Tenchi looked into his friend's golden eyes; they held so much emotion and wisdom right now. "Ryoko," he whispered, touched by her words.

"Those guys her father chose for her probably didn't even love her; they probably loved her because they would be next in line whenever her father stepped down. They were in it for power…not her. But, you Tenchi, you gave Ayeka something that she's probably never had before …a person who see's her for who she is, and loves her for it," Ryoko pointed out firmly, with conviction in her voice. "Just remember, you're with Ayeka because you want to be, and if she feels that way, which we all know she does, then that's all that should matter...to either of you."

After she was done speaking, she stepped back allowing the shorter man to take in her words. Silence passed between them for a long moment; it wasn't uncomfortable though. Suddenly, Tenchi turned around and embraced Ryoko in a tight, friendly, hug; his actions shocked the pirate but she did return his hug, even if it wasn't a strong as his.

"Ryoko…thank you," he said gratefully. Her words had chased away any fears he had and helped him make up his mind about his decision concerning his girlfriend.

"A-anytime Tenchi, anytime."

----------

The pair strolled around a bit more before deciding it was getting late and they should return home. They walked back toward their home after their little "chat", each feeling better for different reasons. Tenchi thanked Ryoko once again before entering the house.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Ryoko, did you have anything you wanted to talk about," Tenchi questioned, while he was posed to opening the door.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He turned around to face her. "Well...its' just that earlier, you looked so sad and I was wondering if you wanted to talk about what was bothering you? I mean you did help me with my problem after all," he answered, explaining the reasons behind his question.

The taller of the two thought on his offer. Would he really wanna know everything that was on her mind? She imagined telling him. _Well Tenchi, a few weeks ago I saw you and Ayeka on the couch together having sex and discovered that you two were dating. I also discovered that you never loved me and only saw me as a friend. This led to me being very emotional but before I could go off the deep end Washu intervened. She helped me through my very emotional time and in the process we began getting close to each other, on a mother-daughter level, and she even helped me regain my memories so I could find myself. Then one night while we were hanging out at this dance club we shared a passionate hot kiss together, that shouldn't have happened and...I enjoyed it. _She shook her head, no she definitely couldn't tell him that.

"No, I'd rather keep this to myself," she informed him in a strong voice.

He nodded. "All right, goodnight Ryoko," he said as he turned and entered the house.

"Goodnight, Tenchi," she responded. After he was gone Ryoko decided to sit on the roof for a while before turning in for the night.

Her glowing eyes gazed at the moon, as they always did, and she rested her chin in her hand. A content smiled graced her lips, showing off one of her fangs in the process. "I can't believe I did that," she muttered to herself in amazement.

She had actually given Tenchi advice; normally, the roles between them were reversed. Even more shocking, she had given him advice on his relationship with Ayeka. Ryoko supposed had it been earlier in these past few weeks she undoubtedly would have approached the situation much differently.

For starters, she would have been thrilled at the fact that Tenchi was having fears about his involvement with the first crowned princess; she probably would have attempted to make his fears grow, hoping they would be enough to split them apart before she moved in on Tenchi herself. Thankfully, she had matured since that time.

"I've come a long way," Ryoko said, with a small smile.

It was true; it would seem that she was a different person now that she had memories to fall back on. Still, she felt the reason for her accomplishment had more to do than just her memories. Ryoko thought on it a moment before she finally realized something surprising.

"I-I helped Tenchi to solve his problem," she whispered in amazement.

She had offered her ear in his time of need and it had helped him. She had assessed the situation and told him what she thought and it had cleared away all fears and doubts in his mind; he had drawn strength from her actions and words. Now if she could help her friend solve his problem…

"…Then I should be able to solve my own," the ex-criminal stated in surprise.

If she could take the time to help Tenchi, surely she could take the time to solve her own problems concerning Washu. But, before she could take on her problem, she would have to analyze herself; just who was Ryoko, the former class A criminal, destroyer of planets? She needed her head on straight before confronting the scientist.

Now, she knew pieces of herself but Ryoko wanted to learn about herself completely; her likes and dislikes, fears, sexual preference…the whole nine. For years she had been afraid to learn about the person she once was, and could still possibly become, but now it was time to stop being afraid. She phased into the house and right onto the rafters. She knew what she wanted wasn't going to be easy but she was going to find out about herself, one way or the other.

(New Day)-----

Everyone was gathered at the breakfast table, with the exception of the usuals. A slight tension hung in the air; it stemmed from Azusa's comment from yesterday and both his wives and daughters were still upset with him for it. Being the stubborn man that he is, he refused to apologize for his words. The others wondered about the tension but said nothing to bring attention to the matter.

After breakfast, everyone simply hung around conversing in the living room; the tension had seemed to melt away. Tenchi sat at a distance and watched Ayeka and her sister happily chatted away with their mother and aunt. Casting his gaze to the left he saw the king trying to talk Washu into once again creating more Ryoko's and Ryo-Ohki's as defense systems for Jurai.

The high school student just shook his head. Wouldn't that man ever learn? As Tenchi when back to looking at long time girlfriend, his heart began to beat a little faster. He had thought about this moment numerous times and today would be the day he actually went about making his dream a reality; plus, today was such a good day with everyone enjoying themselves, despite Azusa, and the sun shining outside, making the day even better.

The purple haired female was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to provided for her, care for her, protect her, and love her; he wanted to start a family with her and spend the rest of his days by her side. Tenchi had always known that but it had taken some serious, and comforting, words from a good friend for him to believe in his feelings without a doubt.

"Ayeka," the spiky haired teen called to his love, as he rose from his seat at the table.

The princess in question stopped her conversation with her aunt to look at her love. "Yes?" she answered in a soft voice. She noticed the look on his face and silently wondered what he wanted.

He approached the couch she was sitting on and stood before her. He closed his eyes and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he opened his chocolate orbs, and spoke. "Ayeka, I've been thinking a long time about how to ask you this question," he began. His word choice halted all other conversations and gained everyones' attention. "And while I knew I could always ask it...I wondered what it would mean and only recently did I find out why."

Her red eyes focused intently on him, one hand was placed over her heart, as she listened intently to his words. "I've always wondered what I had to offer a girl like you. You're beautiful, come from a royal family, and have everything you could possibly need and want. So, what would someone like you have to look forward to from a struggling high school student who plows the fields?" he asked; it was a rhetorical question though.

Before Ayeka could speak up Tenchi continued. "I thought about the answer to the question a long time and I have to tell you, your father's words didn't help the matter much. However, with the help of a good friend," he said, glancing at Ryoko with a smile, before turning his attention back to the first princess. "I was able to clearly see the reason why."

"T-Tenchi..." the eldest princess muttered softly, that only Washu and Ryoko's sensitive hearing picked it up.

"Ayeka you love me for who I am, not for what I have; you could care less about that. And Ayeka...I feel the same way about you. I love you more than anything in the universe. I see you for who you are, not for whose child you are," he confessed in a strong tone.

By now, tears had started to gather in Ayeka's eyes. They were not tears of sadness but of joy; she was glad that Tenchi understood her. No one had ever understood her on such a level in her life.

The black haired male now cleared his throat. "And know that I know and understand all of this, I have a very important question to ask you Ayeka," he stated, as he got down on one knee. At this action everyone in the room gasped. "Ayeka Jurai...will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he proposed, as he pulled the diamond ring from his pocket.

The shorter woman was speechless, as her boyfriend presented her the ring; more tears flowed from her eyes now. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. "Yes Tenchi...yes," she answered in a whisper because her voice had become weak.

He smiled broadly and slipped the ring onto her finger. She lunged into his arms and buried her head into his neck. They were getting married! Everyone in the room began clapping for the now engaged couple and offering them congratulations; the king wanted to protest this union but cutting glances from his wives dried his throat, preventing him from speaking.

"Congratulations you two," Ryoko whispered, with a smile from the rafters. She was smiling because her friends were happy and because she had unknowingly help Tenchi get over his commitment jitters.

_'I did it! I did it! I was able to help someone!'_ a childlike voice yelled in her head; it was herself when she was younger and she had accomplished something big. That caused her to smile even brighter. "Yeah...I sure did."

-----------

Next time: Say goodbye to Ryoko.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n:** _...And I'm back! I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far....only two chapters left!_

_-------_

Chapter 8: Out with the Old

Ryoko and Washu were currently training together; this was the first time they had been together since the incident. Neither woman brought up the subject, feeling it would cause more harm than good. They simply figured the other had pushed it from their mind, or had gotten over it, so there was no reason to reopen the wound.

As the two feline descendents fought each other, a spectator watched from below. He watched as both mother and daughter displayed enormous amounts of power with each of their attacks and counters. And what they were displaying right now wasn't even a third of their true powers; hell, it probably wasn't even a fourth. These women were indeed dangerous.

Washu knew they had a lone spectator. She also knew that their spectator was an annoying bastard who didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. The taller woman growled low in her throat, she was tempted to "accidentally" send an energy blast his way just to get rid of his ass; apparently she had a lot of will power because she was able to resist the desire.

"Hey, Ryoko what do you say we call it a day?" the mother suggested from her position in the air. Her daughter was a couple feet below her, so she was talking down to the shorter female.

The tailed fighter wiped the sweat from her brow. She thought about the offer and then nodded. "Alright," she answered as allowed her orange sword to disappear.

The graduate did the same with her on two energy swords. Both females then began to slowly float down to the ground; they landed without making a single sound. It was after they landed that Ryoko noticed that they had company.

"My, my, my...what a glorious display of technique and skill," Azusa praised, as he clapped loudly for the two "performers". "Your skills rival those of Jurian blood," he added. Yes, the two women were good but he still felt like they were no match against the mightiest of Jurian warriors.

The former criminal and scientist took offense to his words; to them, he was implying that they were weak. Apparently, he had forgotten the damage that one of them had done to his home planet those many moons ago.

"Have you forgotten that I almost destroyed your planet?!" Ryoko questioned, close to a growl. She knew it was wrong to boast about such a thing, especially since she was forced to attack the planet to begin with, but she hated being called weak and felt the need to prove her strength right now.

The bearded male nodded before smirking. "I remember that day quite well Ryoko. I also recall you fleeing our planet because my son Yosho was stronger that you were," he countered. While the pirate was indeed strong, she still wasn't strong enough to defeat Yosho on his own home planet; the 'Destroyer of Planets' had to lead his son away from their home planet and fight him on a backwater planet in order to gain an advantage.

The demon caller bristled at having that thrown in her face. She was about to tear into the king, verbally and maybe physically as well, but fortunately for him, her mother intervened. The former professor stood between her hotheaded offspring and the ever smug and annoying ruler. In truth, Washu wouldn't fault her daughter if she did try and sink her teeth into the dark eyed male, but the genius doubted that line of action would go over well with the others.

"Ryoko, why don't you go and take a bath?" the genius suggested coolly. "It'll help you cool off plus, you stink so you need it," she added, making sure to smirk to show that she was only teasing the ex-pirate and possibly relax her daughter.

The only counter the younger female was able to come up with was to simply shove her mother in the back on her long-hair-dragging-the-ground head. The action caused the older woman to laugh lightly; she was glad they were at a point in their relationship where they could playfully tease one another without damage being done. Honestly, her daughter handled things like a five year-old at times.

"Fine," the spliced eyed woman muttered, wearing a fake pout as she folded her arms across her chest. She did admit that going to take a bath was better than being in the room with Ayeka's father; hell, the two princesses probably stayed on Earth to get away from the man. At times Ryoko believed being with Kagato was better than being around or with the king of Jurai.

Four pairs of eyes focused on the temperamental woman as she phased out of sight; one pair out of concern, the other pair simply looked at her as one would an expensive piece of merchandise. Once she was gone the only two people on the training ground focused on each other.

"Azusa," Washu began, ignoring his title. "Let me make this clear. Stare at my daughter like she's a weapon again and I promise...you'll regret it," she informed him in a dangerously low, dark tone.

The younger of the two had to resist gulping when she spoke those words; the emotion in her eyes, and her voice, spelled danger and he had enough sense to know that she meant those words. He took a moment to clear his throat, as well as regain his voice, before speaking. "You know why I am here Washu," he said cryptically.

The taller woman put her hands behind her head. "Yes, I do," she confirmed. True, he was there to visit his daughters but he also had a separate agenda; his agenda was always the same each time he came there. "And I believe I also gave Funaho my answer when you guys first visited 3 years ago," she countered smoothly, flashing a small fang at him. She looked like such a beautifully feral creature.

The royal clothed male stroked his long beard. "Yes, she informed me of your answer but I'm here to ask you to reconsider," he pointed out. If they had an army of Ryoko's, Ryo-Ohki's, and possibly even Washu's, Jurai would be impervious to any attacks...ever.

"My answer is still no," she stated firmly, in a slightly sultry voice; her voice tended to sound like that when she was in her adult form. He was asking her something she could never do! Her daughter was _born_, not created, because she wanted a child of her own to love; her child wasn't born to be the defense system of a planet!

"But think of---" he tried to persuade her.

The genius cut him off. "No," she answered, not interested in hearing anything that he had to say.

"Why not?!" the ruler of Jurai inquired. He could not see where she was coming from with her answer despite the fact that he had children himself; he was just not making the parental connection.

The graduate looked him square in his eyes. "Because…she's my daughter and I will not allow you to use her, nor will I use her, in that way," she stated, in a disturbingly calm voice; her voice held danger within it if he were ever to try and challenge her.

Now, the younger man frowned. "Washu, you're being unreasonable. Her you are with the most powerful creation in the universe and yet you allow her to run around as if she was an actual being," he remarked, completely amazed at her so-called "parenting skills".

Her feline like eyes flashed with a glint of anger. "I will tell you once more, she's my daughter…_not_ a creation," she repeated in a protective tone; how long had it been since she used it? "And second of all, Ryoko does what she wants because she can. No one can make her do anything she doesn't want to do."

The slightly shorter man shook his head. "I really think you should reconsider…" he was cut off.

"I think you should be the one to reconsider, better yet change your view point. You're asking me to clone my own flesh and blood so the clones end up in servitude to Jurai. Answer me this Azusa, if someone asked you to clone your daughters and deceased son, just so they could be the protectors of a planet…would you?" she questioned, genuinely curious of his answer and reaction.

The king, for his part, was left speechless; he had never really realized what he was asking of the former Academy student until that very moment. Satisfied that she had shut him up about the matter she snapped her fingers and they appeared at the entrance to her lab. Without so much as a word she typed on her computer and the king was being escorted from her domain before he even knew what was happening.

"Maybe I should go take a soak in the Onsen too," Washu mumbled to herself as she stretched, relieving the tension in her lower back. "My back's killing me." She added. As she fished out her bath items from one of the sub-portals; she didn't notice someone fade into the shadows and disappear from the lab.

--------

Ryoko was soaking in the soothing waters of the Onsen. Her hand gently stroked the top of her furry companion's, earning a satisfied purr from the cabbit; she was completely in a daze as she performed the action.

She was replying what she heard Ayeka's father say while he spoke to Washu; she had not exited the lab as the genius had assumed. Ryoko watched and listened from the shadows of the lab; the younger woman was highly skilled in observation methods.

_Am I truly viewed as nothing more than a dangerous weapon?_ The former pirate questioned in her mind.

Ryo-Ohki mewed suddenly out of concern; she halted her purring and turned her attention toward her sister. The cuddly fur ball then hopped onto the spliced eyed female's shoulder; she rubbed her head under Ryoko's neck trying to bring the taller woman some comfort. She could sense through their link that something was bothering Ryoko.

"R-Ryo-Ohki..." the demoness said in something of a surprised tone.

The long eared pet/ship pulled back a bit to look her owner in the eyes. :_ Sister...what is wrong?:_ she asked across the link that they shared together.

The demon caller considered lying to the red-jeweled half-breed but then thought against it. She and Ryo-Ohki had been through everything together; she had confided everything in the younger cabbit because Ryo-Ohki was all she had in the deepest darkest moments of her life.

"I heard Azusa talking to Washu about me today," the tailed female began. "He's trying to persuade mom to make clones of us to protect Jurai." she informed her friend and companion.

_: You know mom would never agree to such a thing:_ Ryo-Ohki assured the pirate as she nuzzled her sister's neck again, attempting to ease away any fears or anxiety that Ryoko might have.

The young cabbit was no fool, she had noticed how the relationship between her mother and sister had changed over the past month; the two females arguing had dwindled down to zero and they spent a lot more time together. It was almost like the old days for them...almost.

"I know...I heard her tell him 'no' over and over again. She even went so far as to explain it to him," the former class A criminal said; Ryoko was actually touched that Washu had defended her so, and had been for the past 3 years from what she found out.

Large eyes looked at Ryoko before eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. This knowledge should make Ryoko happy, not have her brooding over the subject. :_ Then what's wrong?: _she inquired curiously.

"Am I nothing more than a weapon to everyone that see's me?!" the demoness asked in a frustrated tone, going as far as to slam her fists into the green hued water.

Ryo-Ohki jumped from atop her sister's shoulder to avoid being hit with water; she wasn't too fond of the stuff. :_ But you're not a...:_ the cabbit was trying to object.

"I know I'm not, I have my memories, so I know that my whole life wasn't filled with blood and destruction," the taller woman trailed. She swallowed to force down the emotion in her voice. "But, my memories aren't complete, there are pieces from each memory missing and that bothers me. I can't help but think that whatever's missing, rather, what's still being sealed off, could possibly help me with the problems I'm dealing with right now." she explained to her little sister.

The taller woman felt that the answer to all her questions lied within the pieces of her memories that were still sealed off; the problem was how did she get around the barriers that sealed them off. Things just couldn't be easy for her.

Before the cabbit/ship could offer words of comfort and console her sibling, someone had entered the bath area. Sniffing the air, the young cabbit knew exactly who it was; she looked to Ryoko, who nodded in confirmation, knowing what the cabbit was silently asking, before running to greet the newcomer.

A few moments later, Sasami walked into view, cradling Ryo-Ohki in her arms. The second crowned princess was wrapped in a pink towel with matching slippers. When she took notice of Ryoko she flashed the older woman a bright smile.

"Good afternoon Ryoko," Sasami greeted her friend, in a chipper tone.

The taller woman coughed a bit, attempting to clear the emotion from her voice along with an expression on her face that would give away her mood. The last thing she wanted to do was have the child worrying about her; she hated worrying the kind-hearted princess.

"Hey there Sasami," Ryoko responded, her normal tone of voice returning to her, as she smiled back at the smaller female.

The chef of the house released Ryo-Ohki from her grasp before shedding the towel from her body, followed by her slippers. She then slid slowly into the warm waters of the women's bathhouse; a blissful sigh escaped her lips.

"So, Ryoko how have you been lately?" the younger woman questioned with interest after a few moments of silence.

The ex-pirate shrugged. "I'm doing well," she replied. Her answer earned her a mean look from her long time friend. "How's about yourself?" she asked.

The freckle faced teen sighed heavily. "Exhausted. Everyone's been running me ragged lately," she answered truthfully, sinking just a bit deeper into the water. From her parents' arrival to her sister being engaged there just didn't seem to be a spare moment for the chef of the house.

The fanged woman chuckled in amusement. "I know the feeling," she commented, knowing exactly how the smaller woman felt.

"I wish I could just have one off day," Sasami muttered. She wished they could take another vacation like they had that day at the beach.

Ryoko regarded the youngest of the royal family with tender eyes; the girl was such an innocent, even though she was centuries old. "Hey, Sasami," she called, gaining the girl's attention. "How's about you and I take a trip to the city and get away from this mad house for a couple of hours?" she suggested.

Originally, the tailed woman had been planning on going into the city anyway. She wanted to clear her mind of the "conversation" she heard earlier plus, she was still trying to figure herself out; it was proving difficult to do around the house because the place was so busy. Ryoko figured that if she went into the city she would be able to clear her mind from distractions and be able to sort herself out. However, hearing Sasami wishing to escape the hose too she felt she just had to invite the girl.

"Really?!" the smaller female inquired, just to be sure she heard correctly. Ryoko nodded in confirmation. "Alright, I'd love to," she remarked.

"Okay, well then finish getting ready and I'll meet you outside," Ryoko informed her before teleporting from the floating bathhouse with a smile on her face.

---------

Thanks for hanging out with me Ryoko," Sasami said to her friend as they arrived home. They both exited the bus and began the walk to their home.

"Don't mention it kiddo," the older woman responded. "We all need a break every now and then." she answered, patting the top of the shorter female's head.

The princess giggled. "We should all take a lesson from you then," she commented in an admiring tone. One thing she admired about the tailed woman was that Ryoko was able to go out and have fun. Ryoko had never been one to stick around if she was bored and she tended to just up and leave whenever the urge over came her.

The former criminal blushed from that compliment; she had no idea that Sasami looked up to her. The rest of the walk was spent making ideal chatter; namely, they spoke about what a good time they had. When they entered the house the younger woman was quickly swept away by her family.

The demon caller released a tired yawn. "Maybe I'll take a nap," she commented to herself. She would have preferred to stick around and listen to the interaction of Tenchi and the family but, she could sense the way the king was looking at her; she didn't wanna have to put up with him so she decided she would go nap in her room.

(Later)-------

When Ryoko opened her eyes again it was dark outside. In the past the dark had frightened her but not anymore, well, that was not entirely true. She was still afraid of the dark but there were certain places where she felt safe enough to deal with the embracing darkness; this was one of those places.

Instead of getting out of bed, she simply laid there, gazing out her window at the night scene. Her mind was racing with so many things; more specifically, the events that happened while she was out with the chef of the house today. They had gone to a town a couple miles away from their home. Sasami had chosen the place because she had seen on the T.V. that they were having a small festival.

Once they arrived in the town the younger woman wasted no time in enjoying the festivities; she quickly got into the spirit of things. Ryoko, on the other hand, wasn't able to easily jump into the fray with the smaller woman; the former criminal wasn't embarrassed about joining the fun, she just felt awkward doing so. Fortunately for the older woman, Sasami wasn't about to let her friend miss out on all the fun; she drug the tailed female around to help get her moving.

After a while Ryoko was able to into the swing of things; she was really enjoying herself. However, her mood quickly shifted when she and the second princess came across a situation that Ryoko had been in numerous times throughout her life. They had come across a group of kids, the oldest one looking no more than 10. All of them were circled around this young girl, who appeared to be no older than 6; the group was throwing rocks and garbage while hollering that the child was a 'monster' and 'filthy demon'.

Hearing those words and seeing the girl crying, and attempting to prove that she was not those things, instantly caused the ex-pirate's blood to boil; she sympathized with the girl, and because of those feelings, she felt obligated to intervene in the situation. Sasami watched as Ryoko handled the situation in such a mother-like manner, although the younger female was pretty sure Ryoko wanted to say some pretty harsh words to the other children. The other kids ended up apologizing to the crying girl and even asked the girl to play with them; before running off the unknown girl hugged the demon caller's leg and thanked her.

"I know how it feels to be treated like that," Ryoko said to herself as continued to lie in her bed. "No one deserves it." she added.

The events of the day did help her realize something about herself, well, she had always known it but she had just wanted confirmation from someone who didn't know about her or her past. She had confirmed that she wasn't a ruthless weapon that people assumed her to be, she wasn't an emotionless machine. Instead, she was a compassionate, though she didn't show it much, person and it was because she felt emotions that she wasn't a machine; helping that little girl today and being thanked for her actions confirmed that.

Eventually, she tore her gaze from outside and got out of bed. This was another reason she had slept in the house, she figured that if she wanted to find out who she was, and what made her tick, it would be best to start at the roots of her quest: her younger self's former home.

"Maybe Washu's got some baby pictures around or something," she mumbled to herself as she exited her room and stepped into the hallway.

Ryoko was pretty sure the scientist did have items that she valued of their past together but the demoness didn't want to ask about the items; she preferred finding them by herself. Also, if she asked questions, the genius was certainly prone to ask questions, which would lead to places Ryoko wasn't quite ready to head toward yet.

So, having decided her course of action, the ex-criminal began searching throughout the house for anything that would help break the remaining barriers of her mind; she wanted them completely gone because she had problems that couldn't be fully dealt with pieces of her memories still blocked or incomplete.

---------

Ryoko was outside of her mother's home, sitting against the bark of a tree while looking out at the lake; her search had lasted an hour and she had found some pretty interesting things. One of the items she found was an old teddy bear, with an eye missing, up in the attic; Ryoko had recalled from one of her memories how that bear was her best friend and how much she cared for it, almost as if it was real.

She had also found some pictures of when she was younger as well; they were of various events in her life: of her winning competitions, playing games, swimming, and a couple more. Ryoko noted how happy and carefree she seemed in all of those pictures. Then, she came across something odd, an old diary, which, according to the inscription, belonged to her at some point.

The ex-pirate didn't read it because she was too nervous to do so, especially if reading the diary gave answers to her questions. Instead, she placed all the items back where she had found them, scattered in certain areas of the attic, before leaving the area. She also exited the house because she wanted to sort out the feelings that were stirring in her because of what she had found.

"Well, all of this stuff helps strengthen the fact that I'm not a ruthless monster. I'm a person, just like everyone else," she said as she watched fireflies dancing atop the still lake. "So, why do I still feel like something's missing?" she wondered, casting her gaze to the ground.

Despite this knowledge, and the pieces of memories that had been filled in because of these items, she still felt off balance; yes, the tailed warrior felt more assurance toward who she was but she still had the feeling that there was still more to herself. It was this unknown piece that she was trying to discover and find out what it meant for herself.

The warrior sat there, trying to search her memories for an answer but to no avail. In the end, Ryoko just gave up; like everything in her life, it would find her before she found it. So, she got up and went for a walk on the lake to take her curious mind off the situation.

As she walked along the banks of the lake the former criminal took the time to just enjoy the evening. The air was cool, it was not too cold but it wasn't too warm either; it was perfect. Ryoko believed the setting could make for a good place to set up a romantic evening.

She walked about half way around the rocky banks for the lake before something caught her eye; it appeared to be something of a cove from where she was standing. Her curiosity was sparked by this find.

"I've never seen that before," Ryoko remarked aloud. She walked around the lake everyday and had never noticed that area before.

The tailed woman guessed that she had just been enjoying everything else around the lake to notice the area; it was tucked away beneath the leaves and shadows of the trees so it was possible. So, Ryoko decided to make her way over to the area and explore.

Once she reached the little cove, she walked there as opposed to teleporting to the spot. The area looked so plain; it was nothing but a little dead-end runoff from the main part of the lake. It didn't look too special.

As she turned to leave, something shined and caught her attention through the corner of her eye. Ryoko turned around, looked in the direction she thought it came from, and saw nothing. She was prompted to turn and leave again, and she would have had the wind not blew, rustling the leaves, and allowing moonlight to shine on the water and illuminate whatever was hidden within the cove.

"Huh?"

Upon further inspection, Ryoko was able to make out something barely visible at the bottom; it was a faint glint, but it was there. Instinctively, out of curiosity, she reached her hand into the cool water to pull out whatever the item was. When she retrieved the item, a majority of her hand was filled with mud.

The demoness knocked the dripping mud from the item and once it was clean, inspected it. The item turned out to be a golden, heart shaped locket; it was beautiful. She wondered who it belonged to.

As she stared at the locket, something about it felt familiar; as if the locket represented something important, something she _needed_ to remember. Ryoko grimaced a bit as a slight pain shot through her head, it wasn't strong but it still hurt.

The longer the former criminal gazed at the locket the more her head began to throb. At that moment, the light from the moon hit the locket again. The shine from it caused something to surge within her brain, destroying every remaining barrier that was in her mind. She grabbed her head before falling to the ground; her mind became overloaded with information.

Every single question that was bothering her- who she was, what she was, what she felt for her mother- everything was being answered. Flashbacks just began playing out in her mind and she was helpless to stop them, not that she wanted to. The shell that she had built around herself over the years, the doubts and fears she had, the images of herself based upon the reaction of others, all began to melt away to the Ryoko that was kept hidden from the world.

The knowledge of it all was too much for Ryoko and she clutched her head even tighter than before; tears formed in her eyes from all the emotions she was feeling. She had never expected to learn about herself in the way that she was now.

"Mommy!" Ryoko screamed with all of her might as darkness and her completed memories started to claim her.

The tailed warrior had a feeling that when she awoke again, she would no longer be the former class A criminal, Destroyer of Planets, Ryoko, that everyone knew; instead, she would awaken the real her...the _true_ Ryoko. She released one final, soul piercing scream before losing consciousness on the ground; the light from the moon watching over her limp body.

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Next time: Ryoko's memories are fully awakened and she finally understands her feelings toward her mother.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n: **_Enjoying everything so far everyone? I realloy hope so! ^_^ BTW, this would have been up yesterday but I was having trouble uploading the doc (still am actually) but luckily thanks to a friend's help I'm able to upload this chapter!_

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Chapter 9: Reliving the Past

_An adult Washu, who had the appearance of a 17 year old, sat with her arms folded across her chest. She glared across the table at her offspring with upset eyes; she and Ryoko were currently seated at the table having a quiet dinner due to the day's events. Honestly, it was always something with Ryoko and school…the two just never seemed to mix, which was odd, considering how much the genius loved school._

_Ryoko, who had just turned 6, wore a matching expression on her young face as well; despite being a child, her facial expression held just as much power as that of an adult. A frown marred the young demon caller's features as she ate her dinner. She knew her mother was looking at her and waiting for an explanation but she wasn't about to give the scientist one; plus, Ryoko had learned to block out the link with her mother so the taller woman couldn't go snooping around in her head._

_The reason their evening was so tense was due to the fact that Washu had received a phone call from the school. Now, the scientist was use to having her daughter's teacher calling her and hearing about her daughter's behavior and wild antics; however, what the mother was not accustomed to was hearing from the Dean of the Little Tots Pre-School. It was a private school, just like the other Academy schools, and was basically for the students who had children or the money._

_The Dean had contacted the graduate and asked for her immediate presence concerning Ryoko's latest actions; Washu could tell just by the sound in his voice that her offspring had done something serious. After receiving the call the student quickly dismissed herself from her class and made her way over to the Dean's office._

_The parent entered into the building and headed straight for the Dean's office. Upon entering the office she noticed immediately Ryoko, more specifically, the men surrounding her child. The clothing the men wore signaled that they were Jurai's elite, royal guards, and they were currently holding firearms and swords on her daughter._

_Before the genius could express her anger over the sight, and also demand an explanation, the Dean came out of nowhere and quickly swept her into his office; the man wasted no time in explaining the situation to the shorter woman. Apparently, Ryoko had severely beaten a classmate into a coma._

_Washu remained in the office for an hour before she was finally able to leave. The soldiers did protest at her taking the "threat" but the icy glare in the scientist's eyes silenced the men; Ryoko kept silent and held her head down in shame as she and her mother headed home._

_"Ryoko," Washu said in a hardened tone._

_The tailed child visibly flinched at the harshness in her mother's voice. Still, she was not about to cave and tell the taller woman what she wanted to know; it was too embarrassing. "What," she answered in an annoyed tone._

_"Don't '**what' **me," the older woman growled. "Now, what the hell happened today?!" she demanded to know. The older woman was also frustrated because her daughter had placed a barrier within her mind._

_"Nothing," the demoness huffed as she turned away from her mother. In all honesty, Ryoko was upset with herself; she was upset because a few words had so greatly upset her and caused her to lose control of herself._

_"Ryoko, you beat one of your classmates into a coma! You could have killed him!" the mother pointed out in a shout. In her own mind, she was silently thanking Kami that she hadn't embedded Ryoko with the gems or else the situation could have been much worse._

_The grade-schooler frowned. "Well, he deserved it," she counted in a huff. She released her fork and crossed her arms across her pre-adolescent chest while turning her nose up. In the young Ryoko's eyes, the boy had earned what he got; after all, he had threatened to tell her biggest secret._

_The mother sighed heavily; Kami her child was so stubborn. The graduate decided to take a deep breath and try a different approach to get Ryoko to open up. After all, she knew if she tried to force the information from Ryoko they wouldn't get anywhere._

_"So you don't want to tell me what possessed you to en-danger the life of another child? ...Fine. From this moment on, you're grounded for the remainder of the year until you learn to better control yourself and that temper of yours," the genius informed her offspring, earning a growl from the body sitting across from her. "Would you like me to extend your punishment until you hit puberty?" she questioned, with an arched eyebrow. She would have no problem meeting her child half-way._

_The spliced eyed child held her head down; it signaled that she did not want to test her mother's limits. "No," she answered with a pout on her face._

_Washu nodded. "Good," she responded as she finished eating. She grabbed her dishes and prepared to exit the dining room. "Once you're finished, you'll get to work immediately on an apology letter to the boy and his family, along with the Dean of the school," she informed her tailed daughter as she looked down on the cyan haired girl. "Is that understood?" she questioned._

_Ryoko nodded. "Yes ma'am," she replied in a low, sorrowful tone._

_The scientist nodded before she exited the room. Ryoko sat at the table, with her head down; she no longer had the desire to eat the meal before her. Tears began falling from her eyes and landed silently on her hands. As much as the girl hated being on punishment, she hated even more the thought of her mother finding out her secret. Despite being only 6 years of age, she knew enough to know that the feelings she was having for her mother were not feelings a child should have, and yet...she couldn't help it._

_"Mommy, I..." she began in a low tone. "...I..." she trailed off, unable to say what was weighing on her heart. She could stand her mother being mad at her but, she couldn't stand the thought of her mother hating her._

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Ryoko found the memory fading, leaving her alone in the dark; the only light source was the dim glow surrounding her form.

"That was...me?" the former criminal whispered in a shocked tone; she wasn't really shocked at seeing her younger self, more so that she was shocked at the way her younger self was acting toward Washu. Why was it sounding like her past self had some type of feelings for Washu.

"But...that can't be right. I've never liked her as more than a mother," the demon summoner said. Yet, as she tried to deny what she saw, she could not suppress the feelings her smaller self had felt when she looked at the older woman.

Before she could try and come up with a logical explanation to what she had seen when a small light in the distance caught her eye. It started off small but with each passing second the light grew bigger and brighter until it consumed her body; another memory played out before her.

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_Ryoko was lying in her bed on her back; her arms were folded across her chest and huffed in anger. The reason for the 11 year olds mood had to do with the fact that her mother was currently out on a date some guy, as far as she was concerned, that went to school with the older woman at the Academy._

_"Damn it," she huffed in agitation. She felt an overwhelming sense of jealously whenever her mother sought a companion yet, despite her envious feelings, she did not tell her mother the one thing she felt would make the older woman stop seeking lovers._

_The tailed female didn't have a chance to think and stew in her emotions because there came a knock at the front door. She sat up and wondered who could be visiting their home. She considered it might be one of her mother's students; Washu was a teacher/Dean now, so it was possible it was a student. With that thought in mind she exited her room and headed toward the front of the house._

_"Hello?" she greeted/questioned as she answered the door with Ryo-Ohki perched on her shoulder; the cabbit had hitched a ride on the older woman's shoulder as she walked toward the front of the house._

_"Uh, yes...is Professor Washu in?" a man she had never seen before inquired, looking at her with bored eyes, over his spectacles._

_Ryoko surveyed the male. He had silver, almost white, hair with small golden eyes. He wore glasses and adjusted them every now and then; he appeared to be a nerd. Yet, Ryoko felt something...strange about the man and felt a tad uncomfortable in his presence._

_"Sorry, Mom's not here," she answered._

_The silver haired man arched an eyebrow. "'Mom'?" he echoed. "I was unaware that Washu had a daughter," he said, almost in shock. He had heard a lot about the genius but he had never once heard she had a daughter._

_As he gazed upon the pre-pubescent girl he found it hard to believe that the girl was Washu's child at all. He had seen pictures of the galaxy renowned genius, the woman had red hair and green eyes, yet, her daughter-or so the girl said-looked nothing like the older woman: having cyan hair, golden eyes, and..._

_"Is that...is that a tail?!" the older man questioned as his eyes, which appeared cold, questioned; his voice slightly raised a few octaves._

_The younger woman smirked. "Based on that reaction you're indeed new here," she commented. It was not unusual that 'noobs'-her way of saying newbies-were surprised to discover that 'Professor Washu's daughter' was so unlike the scientist, like having a tail when her mother didn't for example; at least, people assumed the teacher didn't have a tail._

_The taller of the two coughed slightly, in an attempt to get himself back under control. "I am, my name is Kagato," he stated in a monotone voice, as he introduced himself. "Do you have a name other than 'Professor Washu's daughter'?" he questioned._

_"Ryoko Hakubi," the shorter of the two introduced herself. She was about to end the introductions when she heard her sister hiss at her. "Oh! And this is my sister Ryo-Ohki," she added in sheepishly, while rubbing the back of her head in an apologetic manner._

_'Interesting' Kagato thought; his interest in this girl, the entire "family" really was now sparked. He silently decided that he should learn more about them. "Well, it was nice meeting you but it would seem I'll have to catch the professor at another time," he said out of nowhere. He bowed, turned, and quickly took his leave, leaving Ryoko and her sister to stare at his fading back._

_The tailed female frowned slightly. "You know what Ryo-Ohki...there's something about that guy that just rubs me the wrong way. I don't know what it is but something about him just doesn't sit right with me," she commented to her younger sibling. She shut the door and hoped that was the last she ever saw of Kagato._

-------

"That was the first time I ever encountered Kagato," the pirate spoke into the darkness. "Mom had asked me later that day did I think she should allow him into her class because it was already full. I...I said yes...because of the look in her eye when she saw all the things he had worked on...I did it to make her happy. I should have said no and we both could have avoided a pain full mistake we both ended up paying for."

Ryoko couldn't believe what she was seeing; once again she had felt the emotions of her past self and, just like before, she couldn't shake them off. A part of herself admitted that she didn't want to. Still, was she really in love with her mother? What if the demoness was? And, a even better question, was Washu in love with her then?...now?

"I find it hard to believe but...all of my memories so far point to the same answer," she whispered softly. "It's all so...overwhelming," she added as she was consumed yet again, by another memory. She hoped it was one that helped her sort out not just herself, but her feelings as well.

-------

_Ryoko entered the house only to be met with sobs assaulting her highly sensitive ears. 'Mom's crying...I wonder why' she thought as she dropped her backpack off by the front door and teleported to her mother's location._

_The taller woman was sitting on the edge of her bed, crying softly into her hands. Her head shot up immediately when she heard her daughter teleport into the room and she quickly tried to cover up the fact that she had been crying._

_"Ryoko, I didn't hear you come in," Washu said as she wiped her eyes dry._

_"I just got here," came the shorter woman's answer. "Why were you crying? Did something happen?" she inquired in a concerned tone. Even when she was a child she hated to see her mother in pain; after all, Washu was a strong woman and it took a lot to make the woman cry._

_Washu smiled softly, almost sadly, as she gazed into her offspring's concerned eyes. It touched her so to have her daughter genuinely concerned about her well being. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with little one," she answered as she placed a hand atop her 13 year olds head._

_The teenager pulled back; it annoyed her when the scientist did things like that and, it also made her blush. "Mommy knock it off, I'm not little anymore," she stated as she shook her head, getting her hair back how she liked it._

_The mother smiled softly. "No matter how old or big you get Ryoko...you'll always be my 'little one'," she countered._

_The younger female simply scoffed, disagreeing with that fact. "Anyway, don't try and change the subject. Why were you crying?" the tailed girl demanded to know. She wanted to know in case she needed to break her foot off in people's asses._

_The genius sighed heavily. She should have known that Ryoko wouldn't let up on the subject, especially after she had witnessed the sight. "Let's just say, we won't be seeing much of Adiel anymore," she responded, knowing that Ryoko would catch on to the meaning._

_"Oh..." came the shorter woman's response._

_"It seems that I always end up doing something that chases them away," Washu muttered, speaking to herself now. "Maybe I'm just not good enough."_

_"That's not true!" Ryoko shouted, when she heard her mother's "private" conversation. "He wasn't good enough for you," she replied while folding her arms and leaning against the wall. It took everything within the teen to keep from shouting with joy and to keep her thoughts from being projected through her mental link._

_"Ryoko!"_

_The younger girl scoffed. "I'm serious. You've been dating this guy since I was 11 and he hasn't changed one bit. All he ever did was talk about 'science this' and 'science that'. He seemed to care more about your experiments than you, the person who invented the items." she pointed out. Originally, she hadn't been intending to say all of that but her mother was blaming herself for things that weren't the graduate's fault._

_"That's not true; Adiel was a very caring and considerate person. He's never treated myself, nor you or your sister, badly," Washu defended her ex. "Trust me, relationships are more complex than you know," she remarked._

_"But I know enough to know that he should have treated you way better than what he did!" Ryoko exclaimed with a furious passion. Fuck, no one knew the proper way to treat her mother...no one but her._

_The teacher arched an eyebrow; what had happened to set her daughter off? "Little Ryoko, did something happen at school?" she asked in curiosity. She honestly hoped not because the last time her daughter was upset at school, especially over relationships, a boy ended up in a coma and Ryoko didn't even have her gems them._

_"This has nothing to do with school! It has to do with you!" the demon caller yelled, showing off her sharp canines. "Why do you always settle for less when it comes to a mate? You pick these guys who treat you like you're another average woman...but you're not! They give you mediocre affection and you take it without question! Why?!" the child demanded to know._

_With each question that exited the tailed teen's mouth she felt her emotions build up; something inside of her had snapped from the sight of her mother crying and hearing about the breakup. Those emotions prompted her to express her feelings for the genius even though Ryoko wasn't prepared to do so._

_The scientist was taken aback by the words, questions, that exited her daughter's mouth. She was about to say 'something' even though Washu wasn't quite sure what that something was. However, before she got a chance to say anything her daughter beat her to it; the words shocked both the speaker and the listener._

_"I like you!" the adolescent yelled before rushing her mother. She ran over and planted the most passionate kiss her young, 13 year old form could muster; she put everything she wanted to tell Washu into that one kiss._

_The younger woman found herself moaning because the kiss was simply mind-shattering to her. Ryoko had always fantasized about what it would be like to kiss Washu on the level of a lover as opposed to the level of a child; what she was feeling right now was millions of times better than what she had imagined. She felt like she would die from the pleasure. Meanwhile, Washu simply sat there in shock from the action in itself still she did nothing to stop her daughter's action._

_Ryoko held the kiss for about 2 minutes until she had no choice but to sever the contact between their lips, needing accursed air to breath. She stepped back and looked at her mother, unsure of what to do next and unsure of the older woman's reaction. Washu did nothing but sit there, her mind still reeling from the kiss and asking all types of questions, with a shocked expression on her face._

_The silence was too much for Ryoko; she began to panic, questioning what she had just done. What if she had angered her mother? What if her mother was disgusted from her actions and didn't even want to be in the same room with her? All of the scenarios were too much for the teenager to handle and she found herself crumbling._

_"I-I'm sorry," Ryoko hastily apologized, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, and quickly rushed from her mother's room to the safety of her own bedroom._

_-------_

_It was now sunset and Ryoko lay on her back with a pillow draped across her eyes, still crying. Ryo-Ohki sat atop her big sister's torso and mewed sadly, sensing the distressing emotions rolling off her older sibling; the cabbit nuzzled under the taller female's chin, trying to bring the teen some form of comfort._

_"She probably hate's me now," Ryoko uttered in such a pathetic and hurt filled tone._

_The brown haired cabbit's ears drooped from those words; she knew how much her sister cared for their mother. Ryoko was so wrapped up in her worries while Ryo-Ohki was busy tending to her sister that neither of them noticed the door to the demoness's room open and Washu enter._

_The mother walked silently up to the side of the bed where her children were; Ryo-Ohki finally noticed the graduate when the taller woman was standing right next to her and Ryoko. The cabbit was about to speak but Washu shook her head; she waved her hand, silently requesting that the cabbit move. Ryo-Ohki nodded and did as her mother requested._

_"Ryo-Ohki?" the teen inquired when she felt her younger sibling jump from her stomach. When she received no answer she decided to see where the little scamp had gotten to. As she was about to get up when she felt a pair of lips come into contact with her own, successfully causing her eyes to widen._

_After a few seconds the kiss was broken. "I think we need to talk Little Ryoko," Washu told her daughter in a soothing voice, gently removing the pillow covering her child's eyes._

_The younger of the two tried to speak but she just couldn't find the words. Washu noticed this problem and came up with a solution for it. "If you can't find the words then don't use them," she said, as she touched foreheads with her offspring. "Use the link," she suggested._

_The demon caller nodded. She took a deep breath before she let down the walls in her head that contained her feelings for the genius. After a few long moments, the graduate finally removed her head from her daughter and sat up straight; Ryoko did the same._

_"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Washu asked, her voice filled with tender emotions. Ryoko had felt this way for her for so long and she had never known about it because Ryoko kept her emotions so well hidden out of fear of being rejected and hated by Washu. Also, it dawned on the mother why Ryoko had beaten that boy into a coma all those years ago._

_The smaller woman looked down in embarrassment. "Because...I thought you would hate me if you knew," she answered honestly. She had known from an early age that she preferred females over males, and nothing was wrong with same sex couples, after all, certain species did mate with the same sex and reproduce without one or the other. However, to 'love' one's own parent was considered a major taboo._

_A soft smile made its way onto the graduate's lips. "I could never hate you Ryoko. I could be upset with you but, I could never hate you," she informed the tailed girl._

_"So...does this mean that..." the golden eyed adolescent trailed off, more out of shyness that anything else. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest that she thought it was going to burst free at any moment._

_The Dean of the Science Academy nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I've had a couple of hours to think about it and I do have feelings for you that extend beyond a mother's love for her daughter...I always have. These feelings aren't unnatural, it's normal in our species that daughters wish to mate with their mother's and sons their father's. Still, I never told you this because I wanted you to choose who you loved of your own accord...not because it's a natural thing to do within our species," she explained to her young one in a serious tone._

_Ryoko lunged at the older woman, placing another passionate kiss on the mouth of her mother...her lover. She straddled the taller woman's legs while the genius supported her in a loving embrace. This time, Washu returned the show of affection with a passion of her own._

_"I love you," Washu said, as the two broke apart for air._

_"Me too," Ryoko replied; she wasn't quite ready yet to say those three words her mother wanted to hear._

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Ryoko found herself trembling with emotion; that memory felt like the piece that was missing from her all along and was suddenly put back in its proper place. All this time, she had wondered what she had been feeling everytime she was around Washu that made her feel...something powerful; the same emotion stirred within her when she had kissed her mother while they were dancing. She didn't have time to think about her feelings because she was whisked away into her final memory.

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_The teenage Ryoko wore a large grin as she walked home from school; despite being able to use her powers and teleport home at her whim she preferred to walk. The reason she was grinning was due to the fact that she had something special planned for tonight._

_It had been four months since Ryoko had informed Washu of her deep feelings for the older woman. After telling her mother it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest and her personality had even changed a bit as Ryoko was not as easy to anger._

_"I want tonight to be extremely special," she commented to the air as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a golden heart shaped locket._

_The teenager was planning on presenting this item to her lover over a romantic, candle light dinner, and also confessing her love for the genius along with possibly getting to the physical part of their relationship. Ryoko was aware that her mother wanted to hear those special and meaningful three words; the taller woman said them to her all the time and each time would respond in an equally affectionate manner, avoiding saying those words._

_She knew not saying those words hurt the scientist; Ryoko saw a flicker of hurt in her mother's eyes each time the older woman told her those words but never heard them in return. The demoness didn't mean to cause the former Academy student pain, but, Ryoko wasn't ready to express her feelings with those powerful words...until today._

_"Today, I'm going to tell her. I'm going to let her know just how much I care for her and how much she means to me," she stated with conviction in her voice, as she placed the surprise back inside her pocket._

_As she approached their home she noticed that it was eerily quiet around the house; which was odd because it was never **'completely'** quiet around their house…ever. 'Maybe mom's experimenting with a new device or something' the tailed female thought as she ignored the silence; nothing could possibly ruin her good mood and the evening she had planned between the two of them._

_Upon entering the house, Ryoko's heart immediately sunk from the sight she gazed upon. In the center of the room lay Washu, beaten and unconscious, and next to her lay a battered Ryo-Ohki; her mother's student, Kagato, stood over the two defeated females._

_He looked up from the two defeated women and turned his attention toward Ryoko; he wore a sadistic smile on his face. "Ryoko…so glad you could join me," he said before sending a blast of energy her way._

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The former criminal came out of her unconscious state with a start; she was thankful because she already knew how that memory ended. She had lost to Kagato and failed to protect her family; the silver haired man had captured her and erased and locked all of her memories of her time with Washu and her sister.

The pirate rose from the ground and was met with bright rays of sunlight in her eyes; as she exited the closed off area she wondered briefly how long she had been unconscious. A soft smile graced her lips. She had learned so much from her memories and felt so much better now that all of her questions, fears, and doubts had been taken care of.

For the first time, in a long time, Ryoko felt completely at peace with herself; she had only felt this way twice in her life: when she confessed her feelings for her mother and when she watched Tenchi grow as a boy.

"All this time, I've been running from my so called "sudden" emotions for Washu when I've cared for her all along," she muttered to herself as she began walking toward the house, the locket griped safely in her hand. "And she's cared for me too."

After having her past played out before her, she felt more confident in her emotions; even after millennia of separation from the genius, the demon caller's feelings were as strong as ever for the taller female and she was going to show Washu that she still cared for her and wanted to always be there for the older woman as she had promised.

"I love Washu," she whispered, in a light tone. "I love her," she repeated as she planned to show the scientist and pick up where they had left off all those millennia ago.

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Next time: The End


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own a single TM character.**

**A/n #1:**_ Well, finally (and sadly) the final chapter. Enjoy._

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Chapter 10: Rekindling the Flame

It had been three days since all the barriers had been destroyed and all memories had been returned to Ryoko, fully completed. Since that event no one had seen hide nor hair of the former criminal; it wasn't unusual for her to disappear for a couple of days. At one point in time, the family would have been concerned about the disappearance because the tailed female tended to do things that landed her in trouble, however, seeing as how the former pirate had matured in her behavior, her friends and family weren't concerned.

Washu was currently sitting on the couch, in the Masaki household; she was in her adult form and was found in this form more often now. She was watching a sappy soap opera although her mind was wandering so she really wasn't paying the program too much attention. It was the middle of the afternoon and she had nothing better to do. Well, that was not entirely true; normally, she would have been in her lab buried up to her neck in her work. However, certain events, compromises really, had changed that.

When Ryoko was rediscovering her memories, the younger woman had insisted that if she was going to make an attempt to change then the genius should too. The former criminal pointed out how Washu didn't spend enough time outside of her lab and, in a sense, alienated herself from their extended family. The older woman agreed to change her work habits and worked the weekdays but not the weekends...no matter how badly she wanted to do so.

"No matter how old she gets I still find myself making sacrifices for her," the graduate muttered with a small smile on her face. She was drawn from her thought by the sound of someone speaking to her.

"Hey Little-I mean Miss Washu," Tenchi stammered when he came downstairs, expecting for her to be in her child form, only to be greeted to the sight of her mature form. It was taking him, along with the others, some time to get adjusted to seeing her like that.

The taller woman cast her gaze his way; she chuckled softly when she heard him stammer. "Afternoon, Tenchi," she greeted the man her daughter was once infatuated with.

"Good afternoon," the younger of the two responded. He hit the landing wearing his usual bright smile while carrying luggage in both his hands.

The genius arched an eyebrow to this sight. "You going somewhere?" the graduate inquired in her sultry voice, curiosity showing in her eyes.

The ink haired teen nodded in confirmation. "We're taking Ayeka's family with us to the beach since they head out tomorrow," he informed the spliced eyed female in his presence.

Washu nodded. She wouldn't mind tagging along, it would indeed get rid of her boredom, but she had little desire to deal with Azusa; even though she was a genius, she still couldn't figure out the chemistry between that man and his wives.

"Well, I hope you guys have a good time," she said, as she got up and headed towards the entrance to her lab, planning to head home.

The high school student looked confused for a moment. "Don't you want to come Miss Washu?" he asked. He had seen her looking so bored and thought that she would leap at the chance to get out of the house.

Before the former Academy student could answer Ayeka came down the steps. She greeted her fiancée with a sweet and simple kiss on the lips. Washu was silently grateful for the elder princess's arrival because it gave the scientist a chance to retreat to the safety of her lab. She entered her lab but didn't stay long, fearing if she stayed longer than necessary she would end up working on an invention; she summoned her holographic laptop and opened a portal to her, and Ryoko's, home.

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Golden eyes opened when she heard the front door to the house open. She sat up on the couch and stared at the direction of the noise, not alarmed at all.

"So, this is where you've been hiding out?" the genius stated/inquired, as she laid eyes on her feisty offspring.

The shorter woman shook her head. "No, I just got back here a few hours ago," she responded with a yawn. She sat up off the couch allowing her mother to take a seat, if she wanted.

The graduate did go over and take a seat next to her daughter. "So, what have you been up to these past couple of days?" she asked in a curious tone.

Ryoko shrugged. She wanted to keep that information a secret...at least, for now anyway. It had taken her three days to plan all of this out because she wanted everything to be perfect for when she said what she had to say. The younger woman had taken numerous precautions that her thoughts weren't accidentally broadcast across the link shared with her mother; she did tell a bit of her plan to her sister but only because she needed Ryo-Ohki's help with her plan.

After a few moments of silence the demoness spoke. "What do you say, we go out and doing something?" she suggested; the first part of her plan was to get her mother out of the house.

"Something like what?"

"Well, I heard there was a star exhibit at the Universal Museum on Razor, followed by a star shower and the passing of Yurt's comet. I know how much you enjoy studying the stars...so, I was just..." the demon caller trailed off, a light blush staining her cheeks. She felt a little embarrassed about voicing this.

The graduate was touched and the look on her face confirmed that. "You're taking me star gazing?...How, sweet," she remarked as she leaned over to kiss the pirate's cheek to show that she was indeed happy. "Let me change clothes," she added, before getting up off the couch to go get ready.

As she watched her mother head toward her bedroom, Ryoko released a deep sigh to calm her speeding heart. _I can't believe my hearts beating so fast from such little contact,_ she thought. However, given how much she loved her mother, it wasn't all too shocking.

"Now, all I have to do is keep her gone until Ryo-Ohki tells me she's ready," she muttered to herself. She usually would have just split herself in two and used her double for the job but Washu could take one look at her and realize that only half of her daughter was there. That information would create questions and that's not something the former class A criminal needed right now.

------

The pair arrived on the Plant Razor in no time and immediately headed toward the museum. Upon reaching the front of the line Washu was about to pay but Ryoko stopped her and paid both their ways herself; her action successfully shocked the older woman. After entering the museum they looked around at all the different types of stars identified throughout history; Ryoko new a few of them, thanks to her knowledge in stars, but her mother new a vast majority more and explained her knowledge about the star, what was not given with the auto, to her daughter.

Time seemed to fly for the two women and before either of them knew it the announcement was being made about the star shower; all people were report to the viewing room in order to watch the shower and witness Yurt's comet pass. The two got a seat somewhere in the middle of the extremely crowded room. After a few minutes, the ceiling opened up, revealing the sky and the start of the shower.

The younger female watched her mother's expression as she viewed the countless stars falling. Somewhere within the pirate, she felt a sense of deep pride for being able to bring the genius such joy. While Washu was busy gawking at the color filled sky, Ryoko decided to take this chance and check and see how things were going for Ryo-Ohki.

: Hey, Ryo-Ohki, how are things coming along?: the older sibling questioned.

: I'm putting the finishing touches on everything. She's going to be so surprised Ryoko: the cabbit responded, joy resonating throughout her mind.

: Good. We'll be there in a few, alright?:

: That's fine, I'll be done and gone by then:

With that information, the link between the two siblings was shut down and Ryoko went back to enjoying the sight. While almost everyone in the room was marveling over the stars, the ex-pirate was marveling over the person sitting beside her; a joyful smile etched itself onto the smaller woman's face as she finally leaned back to view the "finale" of the show when Yurt's comet came into view.

"That was amazing," Washu commented as they exited the theater. "I can't remember the last time you and I saw a star shower together." she said, with a content smile on her face.

"Yeah, me neither," Ryoko lied. "Say, are you hungry?" she asked, changing the subject and setting them up for the next part of her plan. The graduate's stomach answered before she even got a chance to speak. "Guess, that answers my question. Do you have any place in-particular you want to eat?"

"No, any place is fine."

"I know just the place," Ryoko stated. She asked her mother to pull up her laptop; the genius did as asked. From there Ryoko typed up some coordinates and a sub-portal opened up. Both women stepped inside.

(Later)----

Washu emerged from the portal and immediately noticed that she was back home, in her bedroom and that Ryoko was nowhere in sight.

"Ryoko?" she called but received no answer.

She sighed heavily and sat down on her bed; she didn't stay there for long because she hopped up only seconds after she had seated herself. The former Academy student turned around and noticed a red cocktail dress laid across her bed; there was also a note attached to the dress.

She picked up both items. She removed the note and read it aloud, for no particular reason. "I was hoping we could have dinner at home. Please put on this dress, and shoes which are on the floor, which I bought for you before heading downstairs to the dining room for dinner...Ryoko," she read.

By the time she had finished reading the note she was wearing a grin; Ryoko really wanted to make their time spent together special. She briefly wondered why her daughter was doing all of this for her but her senses were over loaded with too much emotion to think on it. She went about getting ready in the outfit her daughter provided before heading downstairs.

Upon hitting the landing the older woman was hit with another surprise: dim lights, rose petals, and a candlelight dinner for two awaited her. The sight was enough to leave her speechless. However, when she saw Ryoko phase into sight, wearing a black cocktail dress, she was left breathless.

"Ryoko..." Washu breathed out in a whisper.

The tailed female pulled out a chair. "Would you care to join me for dinner?" she asked, with a soft smile on her face.

The taller of the two made her way over and sat in the seat that Ryoko had pulled for her. Once she was seated, Ryoko took a seat across from her. They both began eating in silence, not because they wanted to; one was simply so overwhelmed that she was left speechless while the other one had so much to say that she couldn't speak.

"Ryoko, how did you..." the scientist began to ask after the meal was finished. Honestly, the day for her just felt so romantic. She tried not to think about it, forcing herself to believe that Ryoko was just being this way as a way of thanking her for being there when the pirate needed her.

The demoness interrupted. "I had Ryo-Ohki's help," she admitted shamelessly. Now came the final part of her plan. "Hey, what's that under your chair?" she inquired, as she pointed to the object in question.

The mother looked down and indeed there was something beneath her chair; she reached her hand under to retrieve it. It was a small black, velvet box. Washu's hand actually trembled for a moment, as she thought about all the previous times she received small black, velvet boxes. _Stop thinking like that!_ She mentally ordered herself.

"Aren't you going to open it?" the daughter asked, with confusion on her face; she was pretending to be confused.

"O-Of course," Washu confirmed, as she nodded. She took a breath before opening the box and revealing its content's: a golden, heart shaped locket. Kami, Ryoko was simply knocking her off her feet. "I-Thank you," she said.

"I'm glad you like it," the demon caller stated, with a half smile. She then held her head down a bit and looked a tad saddened. "Sorry, it's not as new as it use to be. After all, I bought it for you...the day Kagato...attacked us," she admitted in a low tone.

The graduate gasped from his knowledge and sat back in her chair. "R-Ryoko...are you telling me that..." she trailed off.

The shorter woman nodded. "That's right...I remember everything now. Everything," she repeated. Before the taller woman could speak Ryoko started up again. "I can't believe I forgot you...forgot _us_...while all this time you remembered," she began. "Each time I threw myself at Tenchi, proclaiming my love for him, must have cut you deeply. And, every time I pushed you away and rejected you as my mother...must've cut you even deeper. I know there is nothing I can say to you to take the sting from my actions and I am truly sorry for that."

"Little one," the older of the two whispered, feeling her eyes begin to moisten.

"But, now that I remember us...remember myself...I can't believe I could ever think of loving another. Mommy...I love you," she proclaimed with fierceness in her eyes that strengthened her words. "I would have told you on that fateful day but, things happened to drive us apart and things happened to drive us back together again. I love you...and if you'll have me..." she was cut off by being pulled up from her seat and a pair of lips coming into contact with her own.

The child's eyes widened for a brief moment, surprised that her mother had moved so quickly. However, she quickly got over her initial surprise and began to kiss back with a passion. A moan erupted from Ryoko's throat that was muffled by having Washu's mouth covering her own, as she kissed her lover; she felt numerous emotions as their lips remained intact but sinful guilt was not one of them.

They pulled away for accursed air, for only a few moments, before bring them back together in a kiss that represented more than their physical attraction for one another. Washu nipped and licked at the pirate's lower lip, silently begging-pleading-for entrance into Ryoko's warm mouth. The younger woman responded in kind and opened her mouth for her mother to explore to her heart's content.

The genius wasted no time in diving into the warm, slick depths of her daughter's mouth. She ran her tongue along every inch and crevasse of Ryoko's mouth, trying to memorize everything before their contact was severed once again by, ironically, the "need" to breath. Washu's tongue trailed across the demoness's sharp canines, enjoying their slickness, before massaging Ryoko's tongue with her moan. The scientist purred deep from within her chest and a smile graced her lips.

In order to deepen the kiss, if that was even more possible, Washu took one hand and buried it into her cub's cyan mane; the graduate's other hand snaked around the pirate's waist before pulling the shorter woman's body into her taller form. Ryoko made a startled noise but did not allow the contact between them to be broken.

Not one to be outdone, the tailed female meet the taller woman's pink organ with her own. Both tongues battled for dominance despite Ryoko having no sexual experience whatsoever; not counting reading Tenchi's father's "comic book" collection. She placed her hands within the cinnamon haired locks and ran them through her mother's much larger, thinker, and spikier mane.

She began by trying to imitate what her mother was doing before gaining a bit more confidence and trying some techniques of her own; the tailed woman's confidence grew whenever a moan from the former Academy student echoed within her mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, both women finally pulled away from each other.

Both women of feline decent panted heavily, as they took deep breaths trying to catch their second wind as soon as possible. Emerald and golden eyes bore into one another, each filled with the same emotions: the burning desire that was coursing through both their bodies...oh, how they ached for more, and, taking into account the women they were, they were going to get it.

"Can we take this to your bedroom?" Ryoko suggested, although she was really asking; a faint blush stained her cheeks making her look absolutely adorable.

The mother smiled gently. "You mean _our _bedroom," she gently corrected before taking the younger woman's hand and leading her up the stairs; she planted a simple kiss on the pirate's cheek with each step they took.

Once they reached their destination they quickly settled themselves on the bed and resumed where they left off, throwing in a little extra. Washu began trailing wet kisses along her daughter's jaw line, eliciting soft whimpers and moans from the younger female, and moving down to the pirate's sensitive neck and collarbone; the more experienced of the two stopped every once in a while to lick, nip, and suck that spot.

While the scientist's mouth was busy, she occupied her hands by trailing them over her daughter's curvaceous form; Ryoko actually gasped from the pleasure she was receiving. The shorter of the two had never felt anything like this before in her long, actually short, life. Her mind and senses were overloaded with a deep sense of desire that she could barely think straight.

"Mommy..." she murmured in a longing whisper.

The older woman smirked against the demoness's skin; her hands began to move for fervently now. They teased and twisted the erected pearls hidden behind the fabric of the cocktail dress; Ryoko gasped and her chest heaved up and down. Her hands remained gripping the sheets because she was unsure of what to do with them at the moment.

Wanting to taste more of the tailed woman, the graduate laid the smaller woman back on the bed; by the time Ryoko's back hit the cool sheets, she was completely naked: Washu had phased her dress off. The older woman wasted no time moving in an attacking those cream colored mounds.

The former criminal shouted when her mother's warm mouth came into contact with her ample mounds; her hands shot up and gripped the taller woman's hair in a painful grip; the genius simply growled in pleasure from this action and worked even harder with her mouth.

Washu's tongue flicked the taunt pearl while her hand massaged its twin. Ryoko arched her back, wanting more pleasure than she thought she could handle, it was irrelevant as long as she received it, and attempted to press more of herself into the greedy mouth. She was gladly given more.

The genius removed herself from one of the mounds, having left her mark, she turned her attention to the other one and repeated the same process; she could feel Ryoko clawing at her back, hear her thoughts shooting across the link, asking and begging for more and for Washu to not stop...to never stop, and smell her desire, both of theirs, as it grew stronger and stronger.

Once she was done with the twin, she sat up and looked at the smaller body beneath her. It was _hers_ it belonged to her and no one else. "My Ryoko," she said, a slight rumbling in her chest, as she made known her claim.

: _Please...don't-don't stop. More_: Ryoko broadcast across the link shared with her mother. She felt as if she was going to die if Washu didn't continue touching her.

The graduate smile softly at her offspring before continuing her work. She slowly began to trail her hand down south, the intoxicating smell was too great for her to ignore any longer. The demon summoner cried out and shot up from the bed when Washu's slender fingers came into contact with her more sacred, and sensitive, area.

The scientist was in shock with the damp heat she came into; her daughter was _so_ wet. The older woman did feel a primal sense of pride knowing that she could have the former pirate so aroused. She quickly moved down to kneel before the younger woman and taste her.

"Washu!" the tailed warrior shouted, as she felt the red head's slick tongue plunge into her. Kami, she felt like she was going to die from the sensation alone!

The mother worked hard and thoroughly enjoyed her meal. She moved her pink organ up and down wanting to familiarize herself with everything down there; she found what she was searching for, Ryoko's pearl hidden amongst the folds and she quickly moved her mouth to that pleasure source.

She felt Ryoko's walls spasming around her tongue a bit, so she knew the pirate was close. Still, she wanted them to share their first physical love session together. With the skills of a pro, the former Academy student phased from her clothing and stood between her daughter's legs; she kept one of her hands teasingly stroking Ryoko's center, so she wouldn't be deprived of contact, while Washu got ready.

Then, in one fluid motion, Washu removed her hand, gripped Ryoko's hips, and brought both women's center's together. The contact wasn't necessarily sudden, but it did catch both women off guard; the contact was better than they imagined. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, Washu began moving.

The older female began grinding into the shorter woman, practically crashing their centers together. Ryoko was screaming at this point, every time Washu thrusted into her, her screams seemed to take on a higher pitch than before. _Kami, I'm in heaven,_ Ryoko thought as she took her hands and placed them on the graduate's shoulders.

Meanwhile, Washu seemed to be caught in something of a growl, purr, and whimper, and she worked eagerly to bring both of them over the edge. The grip she held on the pirate was so tight that to any other person they would have been complaining from pain; however, her daughter seemed to either ignore it or enjoy it, it was difficult to tell with the goofy smile and screams she was making.

After a few minutes of this, Ryoko felt something building in her stomach. It felt like something was tightening each time Washu thrust and grinded into her; it reminded the pirate of the knots she used to feel in her stomach when she had to get on stage and speak to universally renowned scientists. But, oh, this feeling was so much better than that.

"Cum for me," Washu demanded, in a low tone, into her daughter's ear. She thrust one final time into the pirate and that was all it took to bring both women crashing down.

"Mommy!!!" Ryoko howled, something between a whimper, cry, and a growl. Her body shook as she released millennia's worth of built up pleasure.

"Ryoko!!" the mother shouted, her voice also caught between a whimper, cry, and a growl. Her body shook just as violently as her daughter's.

Washu stayed where she was until both she and Ryoko's orgasms had pasted. It took a few minutes before they had calmed down from their highs. After Washu had regained movement in her limbs, she crawled up her daughter's body and laid beside her. Both women breathed heavily and were covered in a layer of sweat.

"Mo--" Ryoko tried to speak after five minutes of nothing but labored breathing. She wanted to say so much, like what this had meant for her, but she could barely speak. She felt so sleepy now.

The graduate placed a finger over her daughter's lips. "Shh...you don't have to say anything. I already know and I feel the same way too," she informed her offspring. She was met with a tired nod and a small smile from her cub.

Washu waved her hand and summoned a sheet to cover them, seeing as how Ryoko probably wouldn't want to move from where she was without a struggle. She made sure Ryoko was properly covered and reached above them and grabbed a pillow for them to share. They then settled down to sleep.

Ryoko turned over and buried her head in the nape of her mother's neck; in return, the genius spooned her daughter and made sure she was properly covered. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her daughter mixed together with their lover making. She never thought that they would ever be back to how they use to be...it was indeed a dream come true.

"Mommy?" the daughter muttered sleepily.

"Yes?"

"I love you," she said before drifting off to sleep.

Washu smiled from those words that meant more than the average daughter telling her mother that she loved her. "I love you too, Ryoko," she replied, laying an affectionate kiss in her daughter's silky mane. _I'm glad you finally remember how much,_ she thought before drifting off to sleep as well.

---------

**A/n #2: **_I want to thank all of my fans/readers/reviewers etc. I'm glad you enjoyed the story (despite how long it took to be updated at time^^;) and I really hope that this final chapter was worth it._

_As you already know, but if you don't I'm gonna repeat myself, there is going to be a SEQUEL to this story...and I'm going to involve you my readers. BTW, I wanna thank everyone who voted on the poll I had posted up...you guys really helped out (I'm going to be shutting it down by tonight...so if you want some more say in the sequel you betta hop on that quick, lol)._

_Now, keep in my that I already know how I want the sequel to go, however, I want to hear what you all have to say (I like having my fans involved ^_^). I know that when most authors do sequels they leave a lot of unanswered questions left over from the 1st story or leave their readers wondering about certain issues and etc. __So, what I'm asking of you guys is "What are some things that YOU what addressed w/n the sequel?" or "What are some things YOU think will cause trouble?" and other questions like that and etc (like I said before, I know what its like to read a sequel and it lets a good number or issues/paths go). If you decide to do this plz send it to me in the form of a PM or e-mail instead of leaving it in your review._

_Once again thank you all for reading and being active/supportive fans (and don't forget to be on the lookout for other stories that I post, lol). Laters everyone ;)_


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